My home state of New Jersey might be putting its foot down and squashing Tesla's Cybercab robotaxis before they even get there. As spotted by The Verge, a bill that's currently under consideration in the state would prevent companies from operating fully autonomous vehicles unless they have camera-based technology and two additional forms of sensor tech, like lidar or radar. Elon Musk has been adamant over the years that Tesla's camera-based system is enough, but it legally won't be in Jersey if this bill becomes law.
One of New Jersey's state lawmakers is also a physicist (the state doesn't prevent senators from keeping their day jobs), and he insists that he likes the idea of autonomous cars but is worried about safety.
”This is not anti-Tesla,” Democratic state Sen. Andrew Zwicker, the bill’s primary sponsor, told The Verge. “I’m pro-New Jersey safety.”
Photo by: Tesla
After spending some time in a Waymo in Phoenix, Arizona, he's into the idea of robotaxis but recognizes the limitations of a camera-only system.
