By Chris Kirkham (Reuters) -A group of Democratic Texas lawmakers has asked Tesla to delay its much-anticipated robotaxi launch in Austin until September, when a new autonomous-driving law is scheduled to take effect.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently indicated that a soft launch could begin as early as this Sunday. The incoming legislation, currently awaiting the governor's signature, would introduce a permitting framework for self-driving vehicles and give the state authority to revoke those permits if safety concerns arise.

Zoox is testing in various U.S. cities with more than 20 vehicles and plans to launch the commercial services in Las Vegas this year, followed by San Francisco, where it seeks to expand areas of operation.