Tesla plans to launch its Robotaxi service to select members of the public as soon as this weekend, the company’s chief executive Elon Musk told staff in an internal memo reported by Business Insider.
Musk said publicly earlier this month that the launch would come in one or two months, depending on regulatory approvals.
In the memo he reportedly said the timeline had been moved up and the launch could come as early as Friday.
California launch
Some Tesla owners would be sent an invitation to use the service, and would pay for rides, the memo said.
The service is to operate in a geofenced areas covering much of the Bay Area, including Marin, parts of the East Bay, San Francisco and down to San Jose, the memo said.
Unlike the pilot service in Austin, Texas, the Bay Area service is to use safety drivers in the driver seat that will be able to control vehicles with the steering wheel and brakes, the memo said.
The Austin service includes a human safety monitor in the passenger seat as well as human remote monitors who can intervene in the vehicle’s operation.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles previously said Tesla had yet to apply for a permit to test or deploy driverless vehicles.
The company currently has a licence in the state to test self-driving software with a driver behind the wheel, called a Transportation Charter Permit (TCP), granted in March, that allows it to provide a transportation service for employees.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which granted that permit, said Tesla had contacted it on Thursday to say it intended to extend operations under the TCP permit to offer a service to friends and family of employees and select members of the public, according to the Business Insider report.
Safety drivers
The CPUC reportedly said Tesla has not yet applied for a permit that would allow it to provide a commercial service to the public using an autonomous vehicle, but it can transport members of the public using a “non-AV” vehicle with a driver, as either a paid or unpaid service.
Tesla is looking to focus attention on self-driving technology and humanoid robots as it faces sharp declines in car sales, in part fuelled by anger at Musk’s participation in extreme-right politics.
The company on Wednesday reported its steepest quarterly revenue decline in a decade, sending its stock crashing 8 percent on Thursday.
Tesla is seeking permits in Florida and Arizona to offer its Robotaxi-branded service.