Tesla is further accelerating the deployment of its Robotaxi service across multiple US cities, as it aims to serve “half of the US population” by the year end.
The company has listed a new job posting for Vehicle Operators in Aurora, Colorado, marking the seventh state where it is expected to expand its robotaxi/ride-hailing service.
Its main competitor, Google’s Waymo, also started testing in the state of Colorado last month.
Tesla is seeking Vehicle Operators across several cities in Florida, Illinois, California, Texas, Nevada and Arizona, with its website showing 15 open positions.
“We are looking for a highly motivated self-starter to join our vehicle data collection team,” one of the listings reads.
As a “prototype vehicle operator,” the person will “be responsible for driving an engineering vehicle for extended periods.”
The operator will also be “conducting dynamic audio and camera data collection for testing and training purposes.”
All job postings — except one in Austin, Texas — state that the hire will operate Tesla vehicles using Autopilot, rather than the Robotaxi, which uses its own Full Self-Driving software.
Tesla launched the Robotaxi service in Austin, in late June, with a safety driver on the passenger seat. Since then, it has expanded within its geofenced area and relaxed restrictions on passengers and age limits, as it launched to the public.
In August, the company secured approval to operate its driverless taxi service across Texas, becoming one of the first companies to obtain formal authorisation under the state’s new autonomous vehicle regime.
The ride-hailing service has expanded to the Bay Area, where a safety operator sits in the driver’s seat — as California has stricter regulations regarding autonomous vehicles. Tesla‘s CEO Elon Musk said recently on X that safety drivers were implemented for “extra safety,” adding that they should be removed “by end of year.”
Tesla was also recently authorized to begin testing in both Nevada and Arizona. Musk told investors in July that robotaxis would expand at a “hyper-exponential rate,” with the goal of serving “half the population of the US” by year-end.
Several Wall Street analysts have been noting that Tesla‘s path towards autonomous vehicles and robotics will bring valuation to the company.
Last week, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a new research note that the company could reach $3 trillion by the end of 2026, “as full-scale volume production begins of the autonomous and robotics roadmap.”
RBC Capital’s Tom Narayan estimates that “Tesla‘s humanoid robot segment accounts for 36% of its total valuation,” while the recently launched Robotaxi contributes another 37%.
Canaccord Genuity’s analyst George Gianarikas also noted late last month that, “humanoids aside, the more success Tesla has in Robotaxi, the fewer vehicles they will sell.”
