AIBRIEF
Tesla told the DC City Council on Monday it is developing a purpose built, wheelchair accessible autonomous vehicle, and no US robotaxi operator runs a driverless wheelchair accessible service.
A Tesla senior policy advisor told the DC City Council on Monday that Tesla is "in development for a purpose-built, wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle" and "an active product being built by Tesla in Texas." The testimony, first reported by Wired, came at a hearing on a bill that could let robotaxi services operate in the District.
No US robotaxi operator runs a fleetwide, driverless, wheelchair-accessible service, including market leader Waymo. At the same hearing, Waymo regional policy head Matt Walsh said the company has not found a platform that is fully wheelchair-accessible while also meeting the specs needed to retrofit it with Waymo's technology. Tesla's Robotaxi support page treats the category as a work in progress, and the app's accessibility tab directs users to other providers.
Herdman gave no timeline. Tesla's active robotaxi service in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and Miami runs on Model Y, a compact SUV that is not wheelchair-accessible. The purpose-built Cybercab Tesla is now manufacturing is also not wheelchair-accessible, though a Tesla Robotaxi X post this month highlighted braille controls and wheelchair-height seating for easier transfers. Tesla often takes years to manufacture announced products, and Cruise unveiled a purpose-built WAV in 2023 before shutting down its robotaxi operations.
Waymo's help page lists wheelchair-accessible vehicles as a supported but limited service category. The unresolved question is which operator, if any, will be first to put a driverless WAV into regular service.