- Tesla's Robotaxis is part of a program to make safety modifications to the Model Y.
- The initial fleet will only use these modified crossovers with extra features.
- This is despite Musk's claims that they are identical to the electric cars that the public can buy.
Tesla has officially entered the deep waters of robot cab services, but it's doing so in its own unique way. As of now, the service is very limited; it features a silent Tesla employee in each front passenger seat, made up of secretly modified Model Ys. It's not quite what you might think at first, but it's still fun.
Elon Musk has mentioned several times that the Model Y in Robotaxi service is the model that ordinary people can buy. According to a new report, that's not the case, and before anyone asks, Robotaxis don't appear to have brakes built into their front passenger handles. They do, however, have another set of safety measures.
According to Business Insider, Tesla has a program called Halo that modifies these cars. Each self-driving car is equipped with a self-cleaning camera and additional protection against camera damage. They also have two built-in telecommunication units, each of which provides detailed GPS data and allows Tesla's remote operators to take control of the car if necessary. Nonetheless, it's worth noting that these modifications are not surprising.
Tesla's system relies heavily on the clarity of the camera, so it's critical to keep the lens safe, clean, and in perfect working order. Additionally, the Model Y already comes standard with a telecom unit, so in this case, Tesla is just doubling down, most likely to add redundancy in case one of the units doesn't work.
We'll see how the court of public opinion will rule. Will it praise Musk for adding safety measures to the robot cab program, or will it chastise him for not being 100 percent accurate when he says these cars are exactly the same as those available to the general public?
Opinions aside, does it really matter? What does matter is that people who ride in a Tesla Robotaxi can breathe a small sigh of relief knowing that these cars have additional safety equipment built in. We wouldn't be surprised if these features are made available in Model Y's we can purchase in the not-too-distant future.
