1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to advocate for comprehensive transparency requirements for all autonomous vehicle companies operating in California. The California Public Utilities Commission is currently considering regulations for autonomous ride-hailing services, and comments filed by companies like Tesla reveal a troubling pattern of resistance to accountability measures essential for public safety and informed consumer choice. Tesla is currently operating what it markets as a “Robotaxi” service in the San Francisco Bay Area, despite this service using Level 2 driver assistance technology—the same “Full Self-Driving” system available to any Tesla customer—which requires a human driver to remain attentive at all times. This is fundamentally different from true autonomous vehicles like Waymo, which operate at Level 4 and require no human driver. Yet Tesla opposes regulations distinguishing between these systems or requiring clear disclosure to consumers, claiming such distinctions would “confuse consumers.” This is deeply hypocritical coming from a company marketing a Level 2 system as both “Full Self-Driving” and “Robotaxi”—neither of which accurately describes the technology’s capabilities. Most concerning is Tesla’s opposition to mandatory reporting requirements. While claiming its systems are safer than human drivers, Tesla lobbies against independent verification through third-party reporting. If these safety assertions are accurate, transparent reporting would only strengthen public confidence. Instead, Tesla argues quarterly reporting would be “burdensome” and reveal trade secrets. This resistance is particularly troubling given Tesla has been under DMV investigation for misleading self-driving claims for over four years, yet continues expanding services using the same deceptive marketing. I strongly urge you to support regulations requiring clear labeling of autonomous vehicle capabilities, mandatory reporting of safety data to third-party oversight bodies, and strict enforcement against misleading marketing claims. Public safety depends on consumers understanding what technology they are using. California has both the authority and responsibility to ensure all autonomous vehicle operators—regardless of market power—are held to consistent standards of transparency and accountability.