Tesla's Robotaxi Rollout in Austin: A Reality Check
Tesla's robotaxi pilot in Austin is smaller, slower and more regulated than Elon Musk's claims, city records show.
Inside the Austin pilot: fewer cars, more red tape
When Elon Musk took the stage at Tesla’s Austin headquarters last month, he promised a fleet of "fully autonomous" robotaxis "within weeks." Three weeks later, the city’s transportation department has yet to see a single permit application, and the cars on the road are still staffed with safety drivers.
Regulators, not software, are the real roadblock
"We were told this was a beta test of a finished product," one city official told me. "Instead, we got a request to film a promotional video."
Meanwhile, the actual test is limited to a 12-block radius in downtown Austin, and the vehicles still require a licensed driver behind the wheel, according to emails obtained through a public-records request.
What the filings show
- 0 applications for autonomous-vehicle permits
- 0 requests for curb-space use
- 0 plans for charging infrastructure
So what is Tesla actually testing? A spokesperson declined to comment on the record, but the data suggests the company is still years—not weeks—away from a true robotaxi service.