Tesla is seeking to keep details about its upcoming robotaxi service under wraps, with the company requesting that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) keep its response to a recent inquiry confidential. This move comes in the wake of Tesla’s recent unveiling of its ridesharing service, which generated significant attention. 
The electric vehicle maker has gained a 9% bump in stock price as investors finally saw Tesla’s long-awaited robotaxi plans begin to take shape, reflecting its potential impact on the company’s overall valuation.
Last month, the NHTSA asked Tesla to share more information about how it plans to evaluate its robotaxi service for public road use. This request included an inquiry into whether Tesla’s robotaxi would utilize the company’s existing Full Self Driving (FSD) platform, which customers can subscribe to today. Additionally, the NHTSA sought clarification on how Tesla would ensure the robotaxi service meets necessary safety standards, its monitoring procedures, and how it would determine that the robotaxi is safe to operate on public roads. The agency also asked about the scale of the rollout in the coming months, including the number of cars expected to be on the road in the next year or two.
In response, Tesla submitted its materials by the Friday deadline but marked all the requested files as confidential. Tesla’s counsel, Casey Blaine, explained that such information is typically treated as proprietary and not released to the public unless bound by a non-disclosure agreement. Blaine also argued that revealing the details could potentially harm Tesla, especially if competitors use the information to improve their own autonomous driving systems or if malicious actors attempt to undermine Tesla’s brand for personal gain.
The company’s concerns are not without merit, as Tesla’s competitors, such as Waymo, Zoox, and Cruise, have made significant advancements in autonomous driving technology. Tesla believes that the information it has submitted could be used by these rivals to gain an edge in the market. Despite Tesla’s secrecy, the company’s stock is seeing a positive reaction from the market, even though Wall Street analysts remain divided on the long-term prospects of the robotaxi service. Some analysts are cautiously optimistic, while others are waiting for the service to be fully tested and deployed to see how it performs in real-world conditions.