Tesla Launches Fully Unsupervised Robotaxi Service in Austin

Tesla fully launched its unsupervised robotaxi service across the Austin metropolitan area on Wednesday, marking an accelerated push into autonomous ride-hailing. The service has been operating in Austin for nearly a year, initially facing customer wait times exceeding 30 minutes. As of 10 a.m. on the day of the announcement, the unsupervised service covered the entire geofenced area. According to Austin officials, Tesla has deployed approximately 50 robotaxis locally, compared to over 250 vehicles operated by Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving unit. Expanding robotaxi services and driving widespread adoption of its Full Self-Driving software have become central components of Tesla’s growth strategy.