Tesla is building a purpose-built autonomous vehicle designed for wheelchair users at its Gigafactory Texas plant.
Tesla senior policy advisor India Herdman made the disclosure on Monday during a Washington, D.C., City Council hearing on robotaxi operations.
"We are in development for a purpose-built, wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle," Herdman said. "We know that paratransit can be very difficult, and people who are confined to wheelchairs permanently should still be able to move around freely, so that is an active product being built by Tesla in Texas."
The statement aligns with earlier comments from CEO Elon Musk confirming accessible rides within the Robotaxi program. Current Tesla driverless rides in Austin, Dallas, Houston and Miami use Model Y vehicles that lack wheelchair access.
It remains unclear whether the new vehicle is the Robovan unveiled in 2024 or an entirely separate model.
