Image: @sawyermerritt on X
Tesla has once again expanded the geofence for its Robotaxi pilot in Austin, Texas — marking the second major service area increase in just the past three weeks.
The latest expansion, spotted by longtime Tesla watcher @SawyerMerritt on X, builds on the July update that nearly doubled the size of the Robotaxi service zone. With this, Tesla has more than quadrupled its coverage footprint in the city in just six weeks.
The new geofence extends even farther south than before, bringing in more neighborhoods and major roadways, while trimming much of the previous boundary’s notoriously phallic silhouette — though, notably, the “shaft” remains untouched by Sunday’s update.
Tesla’s pace of deployment has been aggressive. Since the last Austin expansion, the company has rolled out dynamic pricing for Robotaxi rides and launched the service in the San Francisco Bay Area — although that version still features a human safety driver behind the wheel.
A side-by-side comparison of Tesla’s vs. Waymo’s Robotaxi geofences in Austin reveals that Tesla now competes more evenly with Waymo following the latter’s massive expansion last month. While Waymo operates primarily in northwest Austin, Tesla’s updated footprint spans a broader swath of the city, stretching deep into the south and covering key transportation arteries.
Image: @sawyermerritt on X
According to reports, Tesla is eyeing additional Robotaxi deployments in Brooklyn, NY; Houston and Farmers Branch, TX; Tempe, AZ; Henderson, NV; Tampa, Clermont, and Miami, FL; and Palo Alto, CA. With the pace of recent expansions and continued refinements to FSD, it’s clear Tesla is aggressively scaling its driverless ambitions.
As of now, Robotaxi rides in Austin remain in pilot testing and include a Tesla Safety Monitor in the front passenger’s seat, backed up by a remote operator ready to take over in case of emergency.
