Tesla’s Robotaxi program appears to be entering a new phase of expansion. Over the weekend the company not only expanded its operating hours, it also added to the number of fully driverless vehicles in its network.
According to updates from Robotaxi Tracker, Tesla has begun running unsupervised Robotaxi operations in Austin later into the evening, marking the first time the unsupervised service has been available past 4:00pm in the afternoon.
The change in operating hours also comes alongside a recent surge in fleet growth. The latest figures show Tesla now has 33 fully unsupervised Robotaxis in operation, with six new vehicles added in a single day. That includes expansion not just in Austin, but also in Dallas and Houston, where multiple new vehicles have recently joined the network.
At a glance, the rollout may still seem measured. But a closer look at the trajectory suggests the growth pattern is beginning to resemble the classic “slow at first, then all at once” curve.
The current breakdown shows Austin leading the deployment with 22 vehicles, followed by Houston with 6 and Dallas with 5. While still small compared to traditional ride-hailing fleets, the rate of increase is a positive sign.
The big question will be if Tesla can keep this rate of expansion going.
Elon Musk has previously indicated that once the system reaches sufficient scale and reliability, growth could accelerate rapidly. The addition of more vehicles and longer operating windows appears to be an early sign that Tesla is moving in the right direction.
As we told you earlier today, Tesla did pass 10 billion miles driven on FSD, a milestone which Musk previously said could unlock unsupervised FSD.
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