Tesla’s robotaxi service in Austin has doubled its coverage area to about 171 square miles, marking the company’s third expansion since launching in late June. The latest growth adds roughly 86 square miles, extending the service northwest and east while including Austin’s airport for the first time. The expansion now encompasses downtown Austin and several surrounding suburbs, targeting markets with high potential demand for ride-sharing services.
Tesla’s Austin robotaxi coverage doubles to 171 square miles, now including the airport in its third expansion since June.
The rapid expansion represents a 755% increase from Tesla’s initial 20-square-mile coverage area. After the first expansion doubled the service to 40 square miles, a second increase brought it to 85 square miles. Now, with this third expansion in just two months, Tesla has reclaimed its position as Austin’s largest autonomous ride-hailing service.
Tesla’s aggressive growth has put it ahead of competitor Waymo, which briefly overtook Tesla’s coverage area during the previous expansion period. While Waymo has taken a slower approach to growth, Tesla’s rapid pace makes it unlikely that Waymo will surpass Tesla’s coverage anytime soon.
Despite the geographic wins, Tesla’s service still faces operational challenges. The company requires safety monitors in all vehicles, and the service remains invite-only for early access users in Texas and California. These safety drivers must intervene periodically during rides. Waymo operates without safety monitors, giving it an operational advantage that Tesla hasn’t matched yet.
Tesla’s ambitions extend beyond Austin and California. The company is hiring vehicle operators for autopilot and robotaxi positions in New York, Nevada, Arizona, and Florida. These operators will drive for extended periods while collecting data for testing and training purposes.
The company has also been testing its Full Self-Driving technology in Las Vegas’s Boring Company tunnels for months. The underground environment presents unique challenges with rock walls and colorful lighting creating unusual conditions for the FSD systems. Tesla’s vehicles have completed these tests without carrying passengers, and no incidents have been reported.
For Tesla to make its robotaxi service profitable, it’ll need to remove the safety monitor requirement. Until then, the company continues expanding its geographic footprint while working to improve the technology that powers its autonomous vehicles. The service launched in Austin before expanding to San Francisco’s Bay Area.