The US car maker Tesla It failed with the attempt to protect the term robotaxi as a brand name. The US Patent Office dismissed the application on the grounds that the word was generally used to describe autonomous cars for passenger transport. The electric car maker now has a maximum of six months to put counter -arguments.
Tesla also wants to have the term robotaxi protected as a brand name for a transport service. There is still no decision on this application.
Doubts about Musk’s great promise
Tesla boss Elon Musk In October had introduced the prototype of a two -seater without a steering wheel and pedals, which he called Cybercab. Tesla also wants to be secured for this name. However, there was also a setback: the patent office initially exposed the application processing because there was a risk of confusion with other similar registrations.
At the end of June, Tesla wants to start a Robotaxi service in Austin Texan with 10 to 20 upgraded vehicles of the Model Y type. Musk also claims that most of the group’s new cars have everything necessary to drive autonomously – and therefore would soon be millions of self -driving Teslas on the streets.
However, experts and competitors have doubts. Because Musk only wants to rely on cameras as a source of information for the self-driving software. In contrast, other robotaxi developers also use more expensive laser radars that score the surroundings. There are concerns that cameras alone could not capture enough information for reliable autonomous driving. Musk rejects that.
The Google sister company is the clear market leader at Robotaxis Waymo. With over 1500 robotaxis in four US cities, she makes more than 250,000 trips with passengers a week without one person at the wheel.