Tesla Robotaxis Are Hitting the Streets in a New State

Tesla’s robotaxis will soon hit the streets of Arizona. The Elon Musk-led company received a permit to begin ride-hailing services in the state this week.

The permit is Tesla’s final hurdle to launching its robotaxi service in the state; it received approval to test autonomous vehicles with a safety driver behind the wheel last month.

To start a ride-hailing service in Arizona, companies need a Transportation Network Company (TNC) permit. Tesla applied for one on Nov. 13 and got the green light on Nov. 17, a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Transportation tells TechCrunch.

The company now plans to test the service in Phoenix before expanding to Nevada and Florida by the end of the year, Bloomberg reports.

Tesla’s robotaxi service debuted in Austin with a small fleet of 10 to 20 Model Ys in June. The service has since expanded to more parts of the city, but the cars are still monitored by a safety operator in the passenger seat. The robotaxis also operate with a driver behind the wheel in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Meanwhile, Waymo, Tesla’s biggest competitor in the space, has been rapidly growing its footprint. It has a fleet of 400 AVs in Phoenix, and also operates in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Austin, and Atlanta. Waymo currently completes over 250,000 autonomous trips per week and is conducting tests in New York, Miami, and, soon, London.