Tesla gains approval to test robotaxis in Arizona
Tesla has secured approval from the Arizona Department of Transportation to begin testing autonomous robotaxi vehicles in the Phoenix metro area, the agency confirmed Friday. The trials will initially involve cars equipped with safety drivers to monitor operations.
Tesla applied for the permit in June as part of CEO Elon Musk’s plan to launch an autonomous ride-hailing service that could reach half of the U.S. population by the end of the year. While no start date or trial duration has been disclosed, Arizona’s approval marks a significant expansion of Tesla’s robotaxi testing beyond its limited pilot in Austin, Texas, launched earlier this year.
In Austin, Tesla trialed about a dozen vehicles under strict conditions, including a safety monitor in the front passenger seat and a select group of passengers. The Arizona expansion puts Tesla into one of the nation’s most competitive self-driving markets, where Waymo and Cruise have already been testing robotaxi services.
The approval reflects growing state-level support for autonomous vehicle experimentation, even as federal regulators continue to scrutinize safety and data transparency. For Tesla, success in Arizona could provide critical validation for its long-promised robotaxi ambitions.