Tesla Robotaxi Test Fleet Spotted in New Orleans, Expanding Autonomous Ride-Hailing in Southern Cities

Tesla has launched Robotaxi (autonomous ride-hailing) testing in New Orleans, with multiple Model Y test vehicles spotted on local roads bearing temporary Texas license plates. These vehicles are equipped with an integrated rear camera-cleaning system specifically designed for Tesla’s autonomous taxi network, featuring four sets of independent camera-washing nozzles and a dedicated cleaning system for side mirror lenses, providing hardware support to keep sensors clean. This testing marks part of Tesla’s geographic expansion of its Robotaxi service, which first piloted in Austin in June 2025. The service is now commercially operational in five cities: Austin uses a hybrid model (offering both driverless and safety-driver-assisted rides), the San Francisco Bay Area currently offers only safety-driver-assisted service, while Dallas, Houston, and Miami have already transitioned to fully driverless operations. Miami recently opened its driverless service to the general public. To help users identify ride types, Tesla has updated its Robotaxi app to indicate whether a safety driver is onboard before the vehicle arrives. In addition to New Orleans, test fleets are also collecting data in multiple cities across Arizona and Texas, major cities in Florida, and Nevada—which has approved the deployment of up to 5,000 autonomous taxis. Tesla stated that large-scale commercial rollout hinges on the release of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) V15 software, expected by late this year or early next year. This version will feature a tenfold increase in AI model parameters and, following public-road validation of the steering-wheel-free Cybercab, will enable test cities—including New Orleans—to transition into full commercial operation.