Tesla's Robotaxi Launch in Austin Stumbles: Too Few Cars, Low Availability, Frequent Crashes

Tesla's Robotaxi autonomous ride-hailing service in Austin has significantly underperformed expectations. According to data from RobotaxiTracker, only 42 Robotaxis have been deployed locally—far below Elon Musk’s promised 500—and the service has an availability rate of just 19%, meaning it is unavailable 81% of the time. Weather conditions further hamper operations: the service shuts down entirely during rain, and with Austin averaging over 80 rainy days per year, operational efficiency is severely constrained. On safety, even with human safety supervisors onboard, Robotaxis have recorded a collision rate nine times higher than that of human drivers—nine accidents in 500,000 miles, or one crash every 55,000 miles on average. Moreover, Musk’s earlier promise of a fully driverless service has not materialized. In reality, the current operation not only relies on chase vehicles for monitoring but is also limited to a small-scale pilot. Notably, the service has now even disappeared from the tracking system altogether.