San Francisco Bay Area residents and visitors might soon have another option for getting to and from the region's busy airports.
Tesla has been having conversations aimed at expanding its ride-hailing service to key airports in the heart of Silicon Valley, according to an exclusive report by Politico.
Tesla already has had conversations with regulatory authorities about expanding its service to the Bay Area's three busiest airports: San Francisco International Airport, San José Mineta International Airport, and Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport, according to Politico.
While the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is the state's main ride-hailing regulator, operating at individual airports requires specific permission from each airport.
The move represented Tesla's latest effort to counter the expanding presence of autonomous-vehicle market-leader Waymo, which also has taken steps to expand its service to Bay Area airports.
"Airports travel is the perfect place for this type of service … I don't see any reason why, in the future, all travel to and from airports won't be mandated to be self driving taxis," commented a reader on a Teslarati article that summarized the Politico report.
In early September, San José Mineta became the first airport in California to approve an autonomous-vehicle ride-hailing service, granting Waymo permission to provide paid rides there, according to the airport's website. Paid Waymo rides to and from SJC are expected to begin later this year.
"It's the perfect time for Waymo's autonomous vehicles to begin to roll into San José, the Capital of Silicon Valley," Matt Mahan, the mayor of San José, said, per the airport's website. "For decades, our region has shaped the future — and Waymo embodies our region's spirit of innovation."
As Waymo and Tesla race to establish a foothold with consumers in the high-income region full of tech early adopters, one key difference has continued to differentiate the companies' offerings.
While Waymo has received the approvals necessary in the cities of San Francisco and San José for its vehicles to operate fully autonomously with no human operators on board, regulators have only granted Tesla permission to run its ride-hailing service with a human in the driver's seat, according to Politico.
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Yes 👍 Despite Tesla naming its ride-hailing app "Robotaxi," this key limitation has meant the company has operated much more like traditional rideshare offerings from Uber and Lyft. While Tesla CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly promised that the company ultimately will have millions of ride-hailing autonomous vehicles on the road, to do so would require additional regulatory approvals.
Unlike Tesla, Uber and Lyft already have been authorized to operate at SFO, SJC, and OAK airports, according to the airports' websites.
Tesla's "Robotaxi" app, which became publicly available in California earlier this month, has shown those airports as blocked, according to Politico.
Regulators at the CPUC have made the distinction regarding Tesla vehicles' lack of true autonomy a point of emphasis, urging the company not to describe its current offerings as such.
"We … expect Tesla and all carriers to properly and clearly represent its service to the public," said Terrie Prosper, a spokesperson for the CPUC, per Politico.
Regardless of whether Tesla's so-called "Robotaxis" operate with or without a human driver, all Teslas are electric vehicles, which help to improve air quality and reduce heat-trapping pollution in the highly populated region infamous for its heavy smog.
Replacing your gas-powered car with an electric vehicle can help spare the air in your hometown, too, while potentially saving you thousands of dollars per year on gas.
Taking things a step further, by pairing an EV with home solar, you can enhance the environmental benefits and cost savings.
EnergySage takes the confusion out of upgrading to home solar with free online tools that make it easy to compare quotes from vetted local installers and to identify tax credits and other incentives available in your state.
With federal tax credits for EVs ending September 30, and tax credits for solar expiring Dec. 31, it is important to act now to take advantage of thousands of dollars in savings.
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