What Tesla can and can't do in California with its new passenger transportation permit

Core Insights - Tesla has received a transportation charter permit (TCP) from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), marking a step towards potentially operating a robotaxi service in California [1][2] - The TCP allows Tesla to own the vehicles and use employees as drivers, differentiating it from the transportation network company (TNC) permits held by Uber and Lyft [2][3] - Tesla plans to initially use the TCP for transporting employees on a pre-arranged basis, with a commitment to notify the CPUC when it begins transporting the public [3] Regulatory Context - The TCP permit does not cover autonomous vehicle testing or deployment, and Tesla has not applied for participation in the CPUC's Autonomous Vehicle Passenger Programs [4] - To operate a driverless service, Tesla would need to obtain additional permits from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) [4][5] - Currently, Tesla lacks authority from the DMV to offer driverless rides for testing or deployment purposes [5] Future Plans - Tesla is planning to launch a robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, with expectations to begin in June using its fleet vehicles equipped with the upcoming "unsupervised" version of its Full Self-Driving software [5]