Will Tesla Robotax come to Spain? This is what the current legislation says

After years of waiting, Tesla is hours away from unveiling its Robotaxi, a Category 5 autonomous vehicle that no pilot needed and it promises to get you from one place to another without having to sit in the driver’s seat or pay attention to the controls. This morning, namely at 04:00 Spanish time, Elon Musk is expected to tell us all the details of this spectacular and futuristic project.

Unlike autonomous taxis in the US, such as Google’s Waymo or Ford’s Cruise, Robotaxi is designed to own car and replace your car, forever changing the way you travel from one place to another. You don’t order through the app and get picked up. you should buy it and keep it in your garage.

Knowing this, the United States is an ideal market to launch Robotaxi, but given the scale of the project, it’s easy to think that something similar could be of interest to many in other parts of the world. That’s why we’ve made a brief overview of the legislation to tell you Where does Tesla’s personal taxi fit into the rest of the world?.

Can I get to Spain? Would it be legal to have this? Does DGT allow self-driving cars that do not require a driver? This is a series of questions that have long been settled in the land of the free, but which are still being discussed at a much slower pace in the rest of the world.

Can you have a Tesla robotaxi in Spain?

Well, we have to start from the very beginning, and these are category 4 self-driving cars that have a driver. DGT (Directorate General of Traffic) was is considering changing its rules include autonomous driving in legislation. In fact, it is expected that before the end of 2024 there will be news on this issue and a bill will be approved to allow the inclusion of these vehicles.

In a draft presented at the beginning of the year, the GDT proposed a number of changes to Articles 3 bis and 18 bis, defining autonomous vehicles as all those that offer automated driving systems that do not require supervision or interaction with the driver. And here’s where the first key is: Robotaxi does not have a driver.. Moreover, it probably doesn’t even have a steering wheel or pedals.

In addition, it is expected that the traffic police will also prepare a draft circulation guide relating to autonomous vehicles, an article that contradicts another point of Tesla’s “Robotaxi”, his zero efficiency. It is likely that the new rules will have an unforgiving condition that the automated driving system can be switched off at any time, in which case make sure the driver can use it immediately.

In this sense, the DGT seems difficult to pass – at least in this bill, which is expected in 2024 – a vehicle that does not have a steering wheel, pedals or control systems. in case of failure or force majeure.

Our traffic department is looking at the possibility of Category 4 autonomous driving and discussing whether a vehicle can make its own decisions when a person is a few centimeters away from its steering wheel, so It seems that it is too early to talk about Robotaxi.driverless taxis and all those technologies that have been available in the US, Japan and China for some time.

Tesla is very cool, but not now

Moreover, it would be futile if the DGT now took up the task of incorporating driverless autonomous driving into its regulations, because although Tesla will introduce robotaxis in a few hoursits market launch could be late 2025 or 2026 in the US.

That is, although it is expected that this type of vehicle will reach Europe and Spain, and that various headquarters will expand their regulations to accommodate them, the wait could be significantly long. For now, you’ll have to make do with moving from one side to the other by pressing the gas pedal and turning the steering wheel of your car.