According to Teslarati, Democratic state representatives and senators from Austin sent the EV company a letter formally requesting that it delay the launch of its robotaxi service until September, when a recently passed set of laws and regulations for self-driving cars will be in place.

Electric carmaker Tesla launched a limited version of its driverless taxi service in Austin, Texas, this week. Chief executive Elon Musk has touted the "robotaxis" as a potential boon for the company and its customers, eventually offering car owners a way to make money off their vehicles when they aren't using them.

Waymo was last valued at just $45 billion, while autonomous technology drives most of Tesla’s $1 trillion value.