Overview
- Tesla said on Saturday it began Robotaxi service in Dallas and Houston within small, tightly geofenced zones centered on Highland Park in Dallas and Jersey Village and Willowbrook in Houston.
- The company posted maps and a short video that showed Model Y SUVs with no one in the front seats, yet it gave no details on fleet size, pricing, or whether cars carry safety monitors.
- Robotaxi Tracker reported 0% to 2% availability over the first day in both cities with only one active vehicle seen in each market during brief windows.
- A Dallas passenger said his ride missed an exit, entered a highway at 80 to 90 miles per hour, then slowed as if to pull over before support kept it moving and guided it off.
- The expansion arrives days ahead of Tesla’s April 22 earnings call as Waymo already runs larger fully driverless services in both cities and Tesla’s Austin operation has logged multiple crashes in NHTSA reports with narratives kept redacted.