A real autonomous robotaxi should be shaped more like a box on wheels, with a floor that is just a step up from the sidewalk, wide doors for easy access, and a high enough roof so ordinary people don’t have to bend themselves into a pretzel to use it. There have been a number of such vehicles proposed over the years because that is what makes the most sense. Tesla has shown shadowy images of one. Cruze, the autonomous startup backed by General Motors, did another. So has Zoox, the autonomous robotaxi company backed by Jeff Bezos.

A truly autonomous vehicle has no provision for a driver. No driver’s seat, no steering wheel, and no throttle or brake pedals. Such vehicles can be tested until the cows come home on private roads, but before they can be deployed on public roads, they need an exemption from the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which require cars and trucks to have steering wheels and pedals.

Steve Hanley