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SolarSquare in talks to raise up to M as India’s rooftop solar market draws major VC interest | TechCrunch
SolarSquare, an Indian rooftop solar startup that helps households and housing societies adopt solar power, is in advanced talks to raise fresh capital after securing India’s largest solar venture investment in December 2024, TechCrunch has learned.

B Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners are set to co-lead the Series C round, which could value SolarSquare at between 0 million and 0 million and bring in  million to  million in new investment, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. That would represent more than a doubling of SolarSquare’s valuation in roughly 18 months — a sign of how rapidly investor conviction is building around India’s residential solar market.







Lightspeed Venture Partners previously led SolarSquare’s  million Series B round at around a 0 million post-money valuation in December 2024. This time, according to a source, it’s investing through its growth fund, which has backed names such as Razorpay — India’s leading digital payments platform — and Zepto, the fast-delivery startup.

Existing investor Elevation Capital is also expected to participate in the deal, which is currently in advanced stages and is expected to close next month. The terms could still change as the financing has not yet been finalized. SolarSquare has raised .1 million in equity financing to date, per the startup data platform Tracxn.

India has set a target of achieving 500 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030, with solar expected to contribute more than half of that total. The country became the world’s third-largest solar power producer in 2025, trailing only China and the U.S. Its cumulative installed solar capacity has surged from about 3 GW in 2014 to more than 150 GW in 2026, aided partly by government incentives and subsidy schemes aimed at accelerating rooftop solar adoption.

Mumbai-headquartered SolarSquare, founded in 2015, is positioning itself as a full-stack residential solar platform in a market that remains highly fragmented, dominated by small local installers and dealer networks tied to component manufacturers such as Tata Power, Waaree Energies, Luminous Power Technologies, and Exide Industries. The startup designs, installs, and maintains rooftop solar systems for homes, housing societies (the apartment complexes and gated communities common across urban India), and enterprises, and has installed more than 150 megawatts of solar capacity with a presence across 29 cities in nine states, per its website.

SolarSquare has powered nearly 50,000 homes and around 400 housing societies, according to a source. The startup has also deployed rooftop solar systems for large enterprises including Swiggy, Zepto, and iD Fresh Food.


Residential customers and housing societies now account for a majority of SolarSquare’s business, according to people familiar with the startup’s operations, as the startup has increasingly scaled back lower-margin industrial rooftop solar projects in recent years.

The startup has crossed an annualized revenue run rate of more than ₹10 billion (around 4 million) across homes and housing societies combined, according to a source familiar with the matter. It also aims to reach 200 megawatts in its residential solar portfolio this year, the source added.

SolarSquare declined to comment. B Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Elevation Capital did not respond to requests for comment.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.#SolarSquare #talks #raise #60M #Indias #rooftop #solar #market #draws #major #interest #TechCrunchb capital,Elevation Capital,Exclusive,lightspeed venture partners,SolarSquare

SolarSquare in talks to raise up to $60M as India’s rooftop solar market draws major VC interest | TechCrunch

SolarSquare, an Indian rooftop solar startup that helps households and housing societies adopt solar power, is in advanced talks to raise fresh capital after securing India’s largest solar venture investment in December 2024, TechCrunch has learned.

B Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners are set to co-lead the Series C round, which could value SolarSquare at between $450 million and $500 million and bring in $55 million to $60 million in new investment, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. That would represent more than a doubling of SolarSquare’s valuation in roughly 18 months — a sign of how rapidly investor conviction is building around India’s residential solar market.

Lightspeed Venture Partners previously led SolarSquare’s $40 million Series B round at around a $200 million post-money valuation in December 2024. This time, according to a source, it’s investing through its growth fund, which has backed names such as Razorpay — India’s leading digital payments platform — and Zepto, the fast-delivery startup.

Existing investor Elevation Capital is also expected to participate in the deal, which is currently in advanced stages and is expected to close next month. The terms could still change as the financing has not yet been finalized. SolarSquare has raised $61.1 million in equity financing to date, per the startup data platform Tracxn.

India has set a target of achieving 500 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030, with solar expected to contribute more than half of that total. The country became the world’s third-largest solar power producer in 2025, trailing only China and the U.S. Its cumulative installed solar capacity has surged from about 3 GW in 2014 to more than 150 GW in 2026, aided partly by government incentives and subsidy schemes aimed at accelerating rooftop solar adoption.

Mumbai-headquartered SolarSquare, founded in 2015, is positioning itself as a full-stack residential solar platform in a market that remains highly fragmented, dominated by small local installers and dealer networks tied to component manufacturers such as Tata Power, Waaree Energies, Luminous Power Technologies, and Exide Industries. The startup designs, installs, and maintains rooftop solar systems for homes, housing societies (the apartment complexes and gated communities common across urban India), and enterprises, and has installed more than 150 megawatts of solar capacity with a presence across 29 cities in nine states, per its website.

SolarSquare has powered nearly 50,000 homes and around 400 housing societies, according to a source. The startup has also deployed rooftop solar systems for large enterprises including Swiggy, Zepto, and iD Fresh Food.

Residential customers and housing societies now account for a majority of SolarSquare’s business, according to people familiar with the startup’s operations, as the startup has increasingly scaled back lower-margin industrial rooftop solar projects in recent years.

The startup has crossed an annualized revenue run rate of more than ₹10 billion (around $104 million) across homes and housing societies combined, according to a source familiar with the matter. It also aims to reach 200 megawatts in its residential solar portfolio this year, the source added.

SolarSquare declined to comment. B Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Elevation Capital did not respond to requests for comment.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

#SolarSquare #talks #raise #60M #Indias #rooftop #solar #market #draws #major #interest #TechCrunchb capital,Elevation Capital,Exclusive,lightspeed venture partners,SolarSquare

SolarSquare, an Indian rooftop solar startup that helps households and housing societies adopt solar power, is in advanced talks to raise fresh capital after securing India’s largest solar venture investment in December 2024, TechCrunch has learned.

B Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners are set to co-lead the Series C round, which could value SolarSquare at between $450 million and $500 million and bring in $55 million to $60 million in new investment, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. That would represent more than a doubling of SolarSquare’s valuation in roughly 18 months — a sign of how rapidly investor conviction is building around India’s residential solar market.

Lightspeed Venture Partners previously led SolarSquare’s $40 million Series B round at around a $200 million post-money valuation in December 2024. This time, according to a source, it’s investing through its growth fund, which has backed names such as Razorpay — India’s leading digital payments platform — and Zepto, the fast-delivery startup.

Existing investor Elevation Capital is also expected to participate in the deal, which is currently in advanced stages and is expected to close next month. The terms could still change as the financing has not yet been finalized. SolarSquare has raised $61.1 million in equity financing to date, per the startup data platform Tracxn.

India has set a target of achieving 500 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030, with solar expected to contribute more than half of that total. The country became the world’s third-largest solar power producer in 2025, trailing only China and the U.S. Its cumulative installed solar capacity has surged from about 3 GW in 2014 to more than 150 GW in 2026, aided partly by government incentives and subsidy schemes aimed at accelerating rooftop solar adoption.

Mumbai-headquartered SolarSquare, founded in 2015, is positioning itself as a full-stack residential solar platform in a market that remains highly fragmented, dominated by small local installers and dealer networks tied to component manufacturers such as Tata Power, Waaree Energies, Luminous Power Technologies, and Exide Industries. The startup designs, installs, and maintains rooftop solar systems for homes, housing societies (the apartment complexes and gated communities common across urban India), and enterprises, and has installed more than 150 megawatts of solar capacity with a presence across 29 cities in nine states, per its website.

SolarSquare has powered nearly 50,000 homes and around 400 housing societies, according to a source. The startup has also deployed rooftop solar systems for large enterprises including Swiggy, Zepto, and iD Fresh Food.

Residential customers and housing societies now account for a majority of SolarSquare’s business, according to people familiar with the startup’s operations, as the startup has increasingly scaled back lower-margin industrial rooftop solar projects in recent years.

The startup has crossed an annualized revenue run rate of more than ₹10 billion (around $104 million) across homes and housing societies combined, according to a source familiar with the matter. It also aims to reach 200 megawatts in its residential solar portfolio this year, the source added.

SolarSquare declined to comment. B Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Elevation Capital did not respond to requests for comment.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

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#SolarSquare #talks #raise #60M #Indias #rooftop #solar #market #draws #major #interest #TechCrunch


We are in the middle of a collectibles craze in which people are increasingly looking for things that help them feel connected with their passions and a community, but we’re really gotta do better than this. According to a report from CBS News, people paid $25 a pop for literal trash that came from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding at Madison Square Garden.

To be fair, it’s not loose garbage that people paid for. Instead, it’s a 1 by 1 by 0.75-inch cube filled with bits of refuse pulled from outside of the venue on July 3, the day of the pop star’s somehow very secretive and very public wedding. The trash was collected and ultimately curated by artist Justin Gignac, who said he picked up most of it from around the Garden’s perimeter.

According to CBS News, he had some interesting finds: a Ring Pop, presumably not fully eaten, a single AirPod, and an ovulation test kit, among other things. He took his findings, divided it up, and preserved it in the cubes before selling them for $25 a pop—though he did also make some larger cubes, 3.5 by 3.5 by 4.5 inches, that went for $100. He made 50 of the small cubes, and they reportedly sold out on the first day he made them available, because we as a society are sick and broken in ways that are difficult to describe.

When your side hustle is trash

While Gigac was certainly capitalizing on the matrimony, it was also kind of just any other day for the artist, who has been collecting, packaging, and selling trash from around New York City for 25 years now as part of an art project/side hustle. Per an interview with Fast Company, Gigac has sold more than 1,700 garbage cubes to patrons around the world who just want a part of the Big Apple.

There’s no authentication process for ensuring the trash in the cubes came from Swift’s wedding, but Gigac seems like a man of his word. Plus, Swifties apparently dined on pastries that they believed but could not confirm came from the wedding, so it’s not like they’re being a particularly discerning bunch about this whole thing. They just want to feel like they’ve gotten a piece of the action, real or imagined.

People can do whatever they want with their time and money, obviously, and Gigac is certainly not at fault here at all for finding an opportunity to make a little money off a thing he’s been doing for decades anyway—and frankly, there’s something cool about the whole concept of his garbage reclamation project in a “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” kind of way. But paying money for literal scraps from a wedding of an ultra-wealthy celebrity just feels so incredibly on the nose.

But hey, let them eat cake.

#Pay #Taylor #Swifts #Garbage #Isntgarbage,Taylor Swift,trash">How Much Would You Pay for Taylor Swift’s Garbage and Why Isn’t it alt=

report from CBS News, people paid $25 a pop for literal trash that came from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding at Madison Square Garden.

To be fair, it’s not loose garbage that people paid for. Instead, it’s a 1 by 1 by 0.75-inch cube filled with bits of refuse pulled from outside of the venue on July 3, the day of the pop star’s somehow very secretive and very public wedding. The trash was collected and ultimately curated by artist Justin Gignac, who said he picked up most of it from around the Garden’s perimeter.

According to CBS News, he had some interesting finds: a Ring Pop, presumably not fully eaten, a single AirPod, and an ovulation test kit, among other things. He took his findings, divided it up, and preserved it in the cubes before selling them for $25 a pop—though he did also make some larger cubes, 3.5 by 3.5 by 4.5 inches, that went for $100. He made 50 of the small cubes, and they reportedly sold out on the first day he made them available, because we as a society are sick and broken in ways that are difficult to describe.

When your side hustle is trash

While Gigac was certainly capitalizing on the matrimony, it was also kind of just any other day for the artist, who has been collecting, packaging, and selling trash from around New York City for 25 years now as part of an art project/side hustle. Per an interview with Fast Company, Gigac has sold more than 1,700 garbage cubes to patrons around the world who just want a part of the Big Apple.

There’s no authentication process for ensuring the trash in the cubes came from Swift’s wedding, but Gigac seems like a man of his word. Plus, Swifties apparently dined on pastries that they believed but could not confirm came from the wedding, so it’s not like they’re being a particularly discerning bunch about this whole thing. They just want to feel like they’ve gotten a piece of the action, real or imagined.

People can do whatever they want with their time and money, obviously, and Gigac is certainly not at fault here at all for finding an opportunity to make a little money off a thing he’s been doing for decades anyway—and frankly, there’s something cool about the whole concept of his garbage reclamation project in a “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” kind of way. But paying money for literal scraps from a wedding of an ultra-wealthy celebrity just feels so incredibly on the nose.

But hey, let them eat cake.

#Pay #Taylor #Swifts #Garbage #Isntgarbage,Taylor Swift,trash">How Much Would You Pay for Taylor Swift’s Garbage and Why Isn’t it $0?How Much Would You Pay for Taylor Swift’s Garbage and Why Isn’t it $0?
                We are in the middle of a collectibles craze in which people are increasingly looking for things that help them feel connected with their passions and a community, but we’re really gotta do better than this. According to a report from CBS News, people paid $25 a pop for literal trash that came from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding at Madison Square Garden. To be fair, it’s not loose garbage that people paid for. Instead, it’s a 1 by 1 by 0.75-inch cube filled with bits of refuse pulled from outside of the venue on July 3, the day of the pop star’s somehow very secretive and very public wedding. The trash was collected and ultimately curated by artist Justin Gignac, who said he picked up most of it from around the Garden’s perimeter. According to CBS News, he had some interesting finds: a Ring Pop, presumably not fully eaten, a single AirPod, and an ovulation test kit, among other things. He took his findings, divided it up, and preserved it in the cubes before selling them for $25 a pop—though he did also make some larger cubes, 3.5 by 3.5 by 4.5 inches, that went for $100. He made 50 of the small cubes, and they reportedly sold out on the first day he made them available, because we as a society are sick and broken in ways that are difficult to describe.

 When your side hustle is trash While Gigac was certainly capitalizing on the matrimony, it was also kind of just any other day for the artist, who has been collecting, packaging, and selling trash from around New York City for 25 years now as part of an art project/side hustle. Per an interview with Fast Company, Gigac has sold more than 1,700 garbage cubes to patrons around the world who just want a part of the Big Apple.

 There’s no authentication process for ensuring the trash in the cubes came from Swift’s wedding, but Gigac seems like a man of his word. Plus, Swifties apparently dined on pastries that they believed but could not confirm came from the wedding, so it’s not like they’re being a particularly discerning bunch about this whole thing. They just want to feel like they’ve gotten a piece of the action, real or imagined. People can do whatever they want with their time and money, obviously, and Gigac is certainly not at fault here at all for finding an opportunity to make a little money off a thing he’s been doing for decades anyway—and frankly, there’s something cool about the whole concept of his garbage reclamation project in a “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” kind of way. But paying money for literal scraps from a wedding of an ultra-wealthy celebrity just feels so incredibly on the nose. But hey, let them eat cake.      #Pay #Taylor #Swifts #Garbage #Isntgarbage,Taylor Swift,trash

We are in the middle of a collectibles craze in which people are increasingly looking for things that help them feel connected with their passions and a community, but we’re really gotta do better than this. According to a report from CBS News, people paid $25 a pop for literal trash that came from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding at Madison Square Garden.

To be fair, it’s not loose garbage that people paid for. Instead, it’s a 1 by 1 by 0.75-inch cube filled with bits of refuse pulled from outside of the venue on July 3, the day of the pop star’s somehow very secretive and very public wedding. The trash was collected and ultimately curated by artist Justin Gignac, who said he picked up most of it from around the Garden’s perimeter.

According to CBS News, he had some interesting finds: a Ring Pop, presumably not fully eaten, a single AirPod, and an ovulation test kit, among other things. He took his findings, divided it up, and preserved it in the cubes before selling them for $25 a pop—though he did also make some larger cubes, 3.5 by 3.5 by 4.5 inches, that went for $100. He made 50 of the small cubes, and they reportedly sold out on the first day he made them available, because we as a society are sick and broken in ways that are difficult to describe.

When your side hustle is trash

While Gigac was certainly capitalizing on the matrimony, it was also kind of just any other day for the artist, who has been collecting, packaging, and selling trash from around New York City for 25 years now as part of an art project/side hustle. Per an interview with Fast Company, Gigac has sold more than 1,700 garbage cubes to patrons around the world who just want a part of the Big Apple.

There’s no authentication process for ensuring the trash in the cubes came from Swift’s wedding, but Gigac seems like a man of his word. Plus, Swifties apparently dined on pastries that they believed but could not confirm came from the wedding, so it’s not like they’re being a particularly discerning bunch about this whole thing. They just want to feel like they’ve gotten a piece of the action, real or imagined.

People can do whatever they want with their time and money, obviously, and Gigac is certainly not at fault here at all for finding an opportunity to make a little money off a thing he’s been doing for decades anyway—and frankly, there’s something cool about the whole concept of his garbage reclamation project in a “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” kind of way. But paying money for literal scraps from a wedding of an ultra-wealthy celebrity just feels so incredibly on the nose.

But hey, let them eat cake.

#Pay #Taylor #Swifts #Garbage #Isntgarbage,Taylor Swift,trash

Tesla is building a wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle, a Tesla representative told lawmakers in Washington, DC, on Monday.

“We are in development for a purpose-built, wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle,” Tesla senior policy advisor India Herdman told members of the DC City Council on Monday, during a hearing focused on a controversial bill that could allow robotaxi services to operate in the District. “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,” she said.

Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment. Herdman provided no further details about when a wheelchair-accessible product might be available. The electric automaker often takes several years to manufacture its announced products.

Tesla operates a small fleet of autonomous vehicles in the Texas cities of Austin, Dallas, and Houston and, as of this month, in Miami, Florida. (It also operates a service that uses human drivers in the San Francisco Bay Area.) The limited fleet uses Tesla Model Y, a compact SUV that is not wheelchair accessible.

The company has started to manufacture and test a purpose-built Cybercab, meant exclusively for autonomous driving and without steering wheels or pedals. These Cybercabs are not wheelchair accessible, though Tesla highlighted in an X post this month its accessibility features, including braille lettering on controls and wheelchair-height seating to allow for easier transfers.

Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, have hinted previously at a wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle. The company introduced an accessibility tab in its Robotaxi app last fall, though it directs users to other wheelchair-accessible ride providers in the area, rather than to Tesla’s own service. “We are working on accessible rides,” the app says. In response to an X user’s post last fall about Tesla working on accessible rides, Musk responded, “Absolutely.”

No US robotaxi company currently offers fleetwide driverless, wheelchair-accessible rides, including market leader Waymo. At the DC hearing on Monday, Waymo regional head of state and local policy Matt Walsh said, “To date, it’s my understanding that we haven’t been able to identify a platform that is fully wheelchair-accessible while also meeting the unique specifications to retrofit that vehicle with our technology.” He continued: “Now, I don’t want that to sound like a cop-out. We are trying to find that vehicle.”

Waymo has touted the accessibility features of its newest vehicle, the Zeekr-built Ojai, including its flat floor, low step-in height, and grab bars. But it is not wheelchair accessible. Michigan-based Ann Arbor autonomous-vehicle developer May Mobility offers rides in wheelchair-accessible vehicles in some of its markets, with a human operator on board to help deploy necessary ramps.

The Americans With Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in transportation services and requires reasonable modifications to provide equal access. Some but not all US cities require ride-hailing companies to provide wheelchair-accessible services. Many of those companies provide those rides through partnerships with specialized fleets made up of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

In September 2025, the US Department of Justice sued Uber for “refusing to reasonably modify its policies, practices, or procedures where necessary to avoid discriminating against riders with disabilities.” The case is being litigated.

General Motors’ Cruise introduced a prototype wheelchair-accessible driverless taxi in 2023 and said it intended to roll out the vehicle in its self-driving car service in 2024. But following a collision with a pedestrian, Cruise all but halted national service in 2023. The next year, General Motors stopped funding its self-driving unit entirely.

#Tesla #Building #WheelchairAccessible #Robotaxitesla,disability,accessibility,cars,self-driving cars,autonomous vehicles,elon musk,electric vehicles">Tesla Says It’s Building a Wheelchair-Accessible RobotaxiTesla is building a wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle, a Tesla representative told lawmakers in Washington, DC, on Monday.“We are in development for a purpose-built, wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle,” Tesla senior policy advisor India Herdman told members of the DC City Council on Monday, during a hearing focused on a controversial bill that could allow robotaxi services to operate in the District. “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,” she said.Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment. Herdman provided no further details about when a wheelchair-accessible product might be available. The electric automaker often takes several years to manufacture its announced products.Tesla operates a small fleet of autonomous vehicles in the Texas cities of Austin, Dallas, and Houston and, as of this month, in Miami, Florida. (It also operates a service that uses human drivers in the San Francisco Bay Area.) The limited fleet uses Tesla Model Y, a compact SUV that is not wheelchair accessible.The company has started to manufacture and test a purpose-built Cybercab, meant exclusively for autonomous driving and without steering wheels or pedals. These Cybercabs are not wheelchair accessible, though Tesla highlighted in an X post this month its accessibility features, including braille lettering on controls and wheelchair-height seating to allow for easier transfers.Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, have hinted previously at a wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle. The company introduced an accessibility tab in its Robotaxi app last fall, though it directs users to other wheelchair-accessible ride providers in the area, rather than to Tesla’s own service. “We are working on accessible rides,” the app says. In response to an X user’s post last fall about Tesla working on accessible rides, Musk responded, “Absolutely.”No US robotaxi company currently offers fleetwide driverless, wheelchair-accessible rides, including market leader Waymo. At the DC hearing on Monday, Waymo regional head of state and local policy Matt Walsh said, “To date, it’s my understanding that we haven’t been able to identify a platform that is fully wheelchair-accessible while also meeting the unique specifications to retrofit that vehicle with our technology.” He continued: “Now, I don’t want that to sound like a cop-out. We are trying to find that vehicle.”Waymo has touted the accessibility features of its newest vehicle, the Zeekr-built Ojai, including its flat floor, low step-in height, and grab bars. But it is not wheelchair accessible. Michigan-based Ann Arbor autonomous-vehicle developer May Mobility offers rides in wheelchair-accessible vehicles in some of its markets, with a human operator on board to help deploy necessary ramps.The Americans With Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in transportation services and requires reasonable modifications to provide equal access. Some but not all US cities require ride-hailing companies to provide wheelchair-accessible services. Many of those companies provide those rides through partnerships with specialized fleets made up of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.In September 2025, the US Department of Justice sued Uber for “refusing to reasonably modify its policies, practices, or procedures where necessary to avoid discriminating against riders with disabilities.” The case is being litigated.General Motors’ Cruise introduced a prototype wheelchair-accessible driverless taxi in 2023 and said it intended to roll out the vehicle in its self-driving car service in 2024. But following a collision with a pedestrian, Cruise all but halted national service in 2023. The next year, General Motors stopped funding its self-driving unit entirely.#Tesla #Building #WheelchairAccessible #Robotaxitesla,disability,accessibility,cars,self-driving cars,autonomous vehicles,elon musk,electric vehicles

autonomous vehicle, a Tesla representative told lawmakers in Washington, DC, on Monday.

“We are in development for a purpose-built, wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle,” Tesla senior policy advisor India Herdman told members of the DC City Council on Monday, during a hearing focused on a controversial bill that could allow robotaxi services to operate in the District. “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,” she said.

Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment. Herdman provided no further details about when a wheelchair-accessible product might be available. The electric automaker often takes several years to manufacture its announced products.

Tesla operates a small fleet of autonomous vehicles in the Texas cities of Austin, Dallas, and Houston and, as of this month, in Miami, Florida. (It also operates a service that uses human drivers in the San Francisco Bay Area.) The limited fleet uses Tesla Model Y, a compact SUV that is not wheelchair accessible.

The company has started to manufacture and test a purpose-built Cybercab, meant exclusively for autonomous driving and without steering wheels or pedals. These Cybercabs are not wheelchair accessible, though Tesla highlighted in an X post this month its accessibility features, including braille lettering on controls and wheelchair-height seating to allow for easier transfers.

Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, have hinted previously at a wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle. The company introduced an accessibility tab in its Robotaxi app last fall, though it directs users to other wheelchair-accessible ride providers in the area, rather than to Tesla’s own service. “We are working on accessible rides,” the app says. In response to an X user’s post last fall about Tesla working on accessible rides, Musk responded, “Absolutely.”

No US robotaxi company currently offers fleetwide driverless, wheelchair-accessible rides, including market leader Waymo. At the DC hearing on Monday, Waymo regional head of state and local policy Matt Walsh said, “To date, it’s my understanding that we haven’t been able to identify a platform that is fully wheelchair-accessible while also meeting the unique specifications to retrofit that vehicle with our technology.” He continued: “Now, I don’t want that to sound like a cop-out. We are trying to find that vehicle.”

Waymo has touted the accessibility features of its newest vehicle, the Zeekr-built Ojai, including its flat floor, low step-in height, and grab bars. But it is not wheelchair accessible. Michigan-based Ann Arbor autonomous-vehicle developer May Mobility offers rides in wheelchair-accessible vehicles in some of its markets, with a human operator on board to help deploy necessary ramps.

The Americans With Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in transportation services and requires reasonable modifications to provide equal access. Some but not all US cities require ride-hailing companies to provide wheelchair-accessible services. Many of those companies provide those rides through partnerships with specialized fleets made up of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

In September 2025, the US Department of Justice sued Uber for “refusing to reasonably modify its policies, practices, or procedures where necessary to avoid discriminating against riders with disabilities.” The case is being litigated.

General Motors’ Cruise introduced a prototype wheelchair-accessible driverless taxi in 2023 and said it intended to roll out the vehicle in its self-driving car service in 2024. But following a collision with a pedestrian, Cruise all but halted national service in 2023. The next year, General Motors stopped funding its self-driving unit entirely.

#Tesla #Building #WheelchairAccessible #Robotaxitesla,disability,accessibility,cars,self-driving cars,autonomous vehicles,elon musk,electric vehicles">Tesla Says It’s Building a Wheelchair-Accessible Robotaxi

Tesla is building a wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle, a Tesla representative told lawmakers in Washington, DC, on Monday.

“We are in development for a purpose-built, wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle,” Tesla senior policy advisor India Herdman told members of the DC City Council on Monday, during a hearing focused on a controversial bill that could allow robotaxi services to operate in the District. “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,” she said.

Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment. Herdman provided no further details about when a wheelchair-accessible product might be available. The electric automaker often takes several years to manufacture its announced products.

Tesla operates a small fleet of autonomous vehicles in the Texas cities of Austin, Dallas, and Houston and, as of this month, in Miami, Florida. (It also operates a service that uses human drivers in the San Francisco Bay Area.) The limited fleet uses Tesla Model Y, a compact SUV that is not wheelchair accessible.

The company has started to manufacture and test a purpose-built Cybercab, meant exclusively for autonomous driving and without steering wheels or pedals. These Cybercabs are not wheelchair accessible, though Tesla highlighted in an X post this month its accessibility features, including braille lettering on controls and wheelchair-height seating to allow for easier transfers.

Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, have hinted previously at a wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle. The company introduced an accessibility tab in its Robotaxi app last fall, though it directs users to other wheelchair-accessible ride providers in the area, rather than to Tesla’s own service. “We are working on accessible rides,” the app says. In response to an X user’s post last fall about Tesla working on accessible rides, Musk responded, “Absolutely.”

No US robotaxi company currently offers fleetwide driverless, wheelchair-accessible rides, including market leader Waymo. At the DC hearing on Monday, Waymo regional head of state and local policy Matt Walsh said, “To date, it’s my understanding that we haven’t been able to identify a platform that is fully wheelchair-accessible while also meeting the unique specifications to retrofit that vehicle with our technology.” He continued: “Now, I don’t want that to sound like a cop-out. We are trying to find that vehicle.”

Waymo has touted the accessibility features of its newest vehicle, the Zeekr-built Ojai, including its flat floor, low step-in height, and grab bars. But it is not wheelchair accessible. Michigan-based Ann Arbor autonomous-vehicle developer May Mobility offers rides in wheelchair-accessible vehicles in some of its markets, with a human operator on board to help deploy necessary ramps.

The Americans With Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in transportation services and requires reasonable modifications to provide equal access. Some but not all US cities require ride-hailing companies to provide wheelchair-accessible services. Many of those companies provide those rides through partnerships with specialized fleets made up of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

In September 2025, the US Department of Justice sued Uber for “refusing to reasonably modify its policies, practices, or procedures where necessary to avoid discriminating against riders with disabilities.” The case is being litigated.

General Motors’ Cruise introduced a prototype wheelchair-accessible driverless taxi in 2023 and said it intended to roll out the vehicle in its self-driving car service in 2024. But following a collision with a pedestrian, Cruise all but halted national service in 2023. The next year, General Motors stopped funding its self-driving unit entirely.

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