Tesla has received regulatory approval to start "robotaxi" tests with safety drivers, multiple outlets reported Friday night.
The Arizona Department of Transportation cleared Tesla to launch the semiautonomous ride-hailing service. Tesla plans to roll out vehicles with safety drivers in the Phoenix metro area, according to the ADOT.
Tesla launched its robotaxi service in late June in Austin, Texas, with a dozen or so vehicles with safety monitors in the passenger seat.
The ride-hailing operation expanded to the San Francisco Bay Area, with safety drivers.
Earlier this month, Nevada's Department of Motor Vehicles OK'd Tesla plans to test its robotaxi service in the state, with expectations that they'll be in Las Vegas soon.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said he expects the ride-hailing service to cover about half the U.S. population by year-end.
Originally, the Tesla robotaxi service was limited to influencers and other invitees, but the Tesla Robotaxi app opened up to the public earlier this month, though the number of vehicles remains extremely limited.
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Waymo, Zoox, Lyft, Uber
Waymo, the self-driving operation of Google-parent Alphabet, first launched fully autonomous, public rides in the Phoenix area in October 2020. Waymo has since expanded to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and Miami, with several more cities planned in the coming year.
Waymo is teaming up with Uber Technologies in some cities, but not others. Uber has several autonomous-driving alliances that include Chinese companies, as well as a three-way partnership with Lucid and Nuro.
Waymo will enter Nashville next year in partnership with Lyft, the companies announced last week. Lyft recently began offering autonomous rides in Atlanta, with safety drivers, in a pilot program with May Mobility.
Zoox, owned by Amazon.com[ticker symb=AMZN], has opened up its self-driving robotaxis for free rides to the public in Las Vegas this month, with tests underway in San Francisco.
Tesla Stock
Tesla stock jumped 7.6% last week to 426.07, hitting eight-month highs, as Elon Musk disclosed new TSLA share buys. In the prior week, TSLA stock surged 12.85%, racing out of a consolidation. Shares are close to the January all-time high of 439.74.
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