One week ago, reader Margaret‘s photo of a Tesla Cybercab on a test run in West Seattle generated discussion and questions. We took some of the latter to SDOT, since the department has made it clear that driverless cabs are not yet approve to operate in Seattle:
The Tesla Cybercabs seen in Seattle have steering wheels and pedals and are being driven by people to collect data and map Seattle streets. They use Level 2 driver-assistance system, which means the person in the driver’s seat is responsible for driving the vehicle.
Seattle requires a permit to test autonomous vehicles at Level 3 or higher. These Cybercabs are operating at Level 2, so Tesla does not need a City autonomous vehicle testing permit for this activity.
Companies testing autonomous vehicles must also register with the Washington State Department of Licensing.
The list on SDOT’s webpage that you referenced is the current list of known autonomous vehicle operations in Seattle and their status.
The page says two companies – Zoox and NVIDIA – have testing permits, while three others – Woven by Toyota, Tesla and Waymo – are testing in ways that don’t require permits.