On the Dash:
- Tesla plans to double its robotaxi fleet in Austin in December, increasing the number of vehicles to roughly 60.
- The current fleet remains far below Musk’s earlier target of 500 operational robotaxis in Austin by year-end.
- Tesla’s nationwide expansion goals appear challenging given current fleet numbers and rollout pace.
Tesla will double its robotaxi fleet in Texas in December, CEO Elon Musk said on Tuesday, less than six months after launching the service.
Musk indicated the fleet should “roughly double next month” in response to an X thread started by Tesla superfan Joe Tegtmeyer, who noted that the robotaxi service was “essentially unusable” due to persistent high demand, leaving customers with extensive wait times.
Last month, Musk stated that Tesla aimed to have 500 operational Robotaxis servicing the Austin area by year-end. The company has not provided an official count of active vehicles, but estimates place the current number around 30. If the fleet doubles as Musk suggests, Austin would have roughly 60 cars—a far cry from the 500 he previously cited during his October “All-In” podcast appearance.
Tesla launched its ride-hailing service in Austin in June and in the San Francisco Bay Area in late July. Both cities operate the service with a Tesla safety driver overseeing trips. During the company’s earnings call last month, Musk said Tesla plans to introduce a more fully autonomous program without safety drivers in parts of Austin by year-end. He also projected operations in eight to 10 additional metro areas by the end of 2025.
The company has received approval to offer its ride-hailing service in Arizona and said it plans to expand to Nevada and Florida by year-end. Based on current fleet numbers and rollout pace, however, achieving Musk’s stated expansion goals appears challenging.
