Tesla adds Orlando and Tampa to robotaxi rollout
Tesla said its Robotaxi service is expanding to two Florida cities, but it did not disclose fleet size or immediate customer access.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
Tesla said it is launching its Robotaxi service in Orlando and Tampa, widening the company’s autonomous ride-hailing push into Florida. The announcement matters because Tesla is trying to show growth in a program that The Verge reported remains far smaller and less consistent than Elon Musk previously projected.
The company announced the Florida expansion in a post on X, The Verge reported. Tesla attached maps showing service areas for each city, but it did not say how many vehicles would operate in Orlando or Tampa or whether customers could immediately summon a ride.
The timing came ahead of Tesla’s second-quarter earnings call, where The Verge reported Musk was expected to discuss the status of the Robotaxi business. The company has made robotaxis a central part of its future plans, and Musk has predicted the service will be profitable in 2027, according to The Verge.
Fleet size remains a key question
The Florida announcement follows earlier targets that Tesla has not met, according to The Verge. Musk said in 2024 that Tesla’s autonomous ride-hailing vehicles would be available to half of the U.S. population by the end of 2025, and later said the company would have “500 or more” vehicles in the Austin area alone by the end of 2025.
The Verge, citing Bloomberg, reported that Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet is much smaller than those forecasts. Robotaxi Tracker figures cited by The Verge showed that in May Tesla had five unsupervised robotaxis in Dallas, six in Houston and 29 in Austin.
Those counts have since shifted, according to the Robotaxi Tracker figures reported by The Verge. The tracker showed 17 unsupervised vehicles in Austin, four in Dallas and none in Houston as of Tuesday.
By comparison, The Verge reported that Waymo is estimated to operate more than 3,500 fully driverless vehicles across more than 10 cities. Tesla and Waymo also differ in how they begin service in new markets, according to The Verge.
Rollout practices vary by city
The Verge reported that Tesla, like Waymo, usually starts robotaxi service in a new city with a safety driver at the wheel. In some cases, Tesla has moved that person to the passenger seat and given them access to a kill switch, according to The Verge.
The company has not consistently explained changes in the number of robotaxis operating in each market, The Verge reported. The outlet also reported that limited vehicle supply has contributed to long wait times in several cases.
The Verge said multiple reports have described Tesla robotaxis picking up or dropping off riders in the wrong place. The outlet also reported that unsupervised Tesla robotaxis are often remotely operated.
This week, Tesla reported that one of its unsupervised robotaxis hit a tree stump while it was being remotely operated, according to The Verge. The Florida launch adds two more cities to Tesla’s public robotaxi map, but the company has not yet provided the operational details needed to measure how much service will be available there.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.