Tesla NASDAQ:TSLA shares climbed about 1.5% in early Monday trading after the electric vehicle maker broadened its autonomous ride-hailing footprint with a Robotaxi rollout in Miami.
Tesla's latest expansion adds a new market to its developing self-driving transportation network. Initial operations remain limited to selected western and central parts of Miami, while areas including downtown Miami and Miami Beach are not currently part of the service zone.
The Miami launch follows Tesla's first commercial Robotaxi deployment in Austin, Texas, as the company continues building its autonomous mobility business. Tesla operates the service through its Full Self-Driving technology and uses Model Y vehicles within the fleet.
The move may place Tesla in closer competition with Alphabet (GOOG)-owned Waymo, which already runs autonomous transportation services in multiple U.S. markets and has existing operations in portions of Miami.