Tesla wants to greatly expand its Robotaxi service, and a new report claims that the company plans to launch it in San Francisco, California, as early as this weekend under a testing program.
This follows the recent rollout of Tesla's Robotaxi service, which it is now operating in a limited fashion and exclusively in Austin, Texas.
Tesla Robotaxi to Reportedly Expand Early Testing in SF
A report from Business Insider shares that Tesla is planning to launch its Robotaxi service in San Francisco, and it will happen this coming weekend. However, there is still no official word regarding these plans of Tesla as of writing.
It was also revealed that Tesla would soon send invitations to Tesla owners first to try out the self-driving services under the Robotaxi program.
Tesla Is Yet to Secure Permits for SF Testing
As of writing, Tesla is still in limited testing of its Robotaxi in San Francisco, with the company only allowed to transport its employees as part of its test.
According to TechCrunch's report, Tesla only has a California Department of Motor Vehicles permit to test autonomous vehicles (AV) with a human safety operator behind the wheel but not yet for a driverless deployment.
Tesla has yet to secure a permit from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for ride-hailing via AVs.
The Tesla Robotaxi Service
Tesla's expansion of its business centers on one of the hottest developments in the car industry, the robotaxi, with the company leveraging its Full-Self Driving (FSD) technology to run its operations.
The company already launched a Robotaxi test in San Francisco and Austin earlier this year, with it using the FSD Supervised version and only available to Tesla employees. However, this was not yet its testing program proper.
That official testing program only launched recently in Austin, Texas, and allowed public users to join the experimental rides that provided customers with regular Tesla EVs, a safety officer, and a self-driving experience that takes them from point A to B. However, many riders have reported dangerous driving that raised safety concerns amongst the public and regulators in the state.
Tesla's service is still under early testing over at Austin, and it is in no way permitted to handle rides on its own thus far, with the state of Texas also requiring all operators to secure permits as stipulated by its law.
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