Tesla is expanding its robotaxi footprint across Texas by launching availability in both Dallas and Houston. As announced in a post on X, the EV maker is introducing its robotaxis to smaller sections of Texas cities, as revealed in two maps of its new service areas.
The first robotaxi rides began in Austin, Texas, where Tesla is headquartered, but the service began with a “Tesla Safety Monitor,” or an observing human in the passenger seat. Earlier this year, Tesla began to move away from including safety monitors, leaving its robotaxis to operate unsupervised and completely autonomous. In the latest announcement on the It doesn’t matter that Tesla has previously acknowledged that some of its robotaxis are sometimes operated remotely by human operators.
With the expansion of robotaxi in Dallas and Houston, Tesla is encroaching on Waymo’s autonomous ride-hailing service, which entered the same markets in February this year. Looking ahead, Tesla is also targeting the Bay Area market in California for its robotaxi expansion. Although the company has received approval to operate ride-hailing services in California, it still does not have authorization for autonomous taxis in the state.
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