Nov 14 (Reuters) - As Tesla’s electric-vehicle sales have flattened this year, CEO Elon Musk has increasingly staked the company’s future on his vision for self-driving robotaxis, despite the massive technological and regulatory obstacles in delivering them.
Now Musk - as one of President-elect Donald Trump’s biggest backers - may have the influence to help break through those regulatory roadblocks.
“If there’s a department of government efficiency,” Musk said, “I’ll try to help make that happen.”
On Tuesday, Trump tapped Musk and another ally to lead such an entity, which is not a government agency. It remains unclear how the organization will function.
Musk’s sway is likely to extend beyond efficiency. The billionaire, who gave at least $119 million to a pro-Trump group during the campaign, is expected to influence the president-elect’s pick for the next Transportation Department secretary, according to a person close to Musk and Trump’s transition planning. That department, which includes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), regulates automakers and could push through significant changes to the self-driving rules at a national level.
Like… it would have to actually work. That’s not a regulatory problem he can bulldoze.
Get rid of the FTC and NHTSA and boom. They don’t have to work and he can sell them.
