Tesla's Robotaxi fleet goal for Austin has dropped from 500 to 60
Published on Nov 30, 2025 at 10:07 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Nov 28, 2025 at 1:47 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Tesla says it plans to have a Robotaxi fleet of around 60 in Austin by the end of the year, which is a lot less than the 500 it was previously aiming for.
Tesla launched its Robotaxi service in Austin earlier this year, and has already expanded its service area in the city.
The company currently is estimated to have around 30 vehicles operating in the city, and previously said it was aiming to have 500 by the end of 2025.
However, that plan seems to have changed with Tesla boss Elon Musk saying Tesla was now only going to ‘double’ the number of Robotaxis in Austin next month.
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Tesla previously said it planned to have a Robotaxi fleet of 500
It’s been a busy six months for Tesla’s Robotaxis.
After originally landing in Austin, it has been rolled out to several other cities.
When Tesla’s Robotaxi service launched in Austin, it had a fleet of 10 vehicles, but was planning a rapid expansion.
In October this year, Musk said the plan was to have hundreds of Robotaxis operating in Austin by the end of the year.
“We’re scaling up the number of cars to… probably we’ll have a thousand cars or more in the Bay Area by the end of this year, probably 500 or more in the greater Austin area,” he said on the All-In Podcast.
However, it looks as though that is no longer the plan with Musk now estimating a much lower number of Robotaxis will be introduced next month, as the year closes out.
“The Tesla Robotaxi fleet in Austin should roughly double next month,” he told a follower on X.
With the current Robotaxi fleet sitting at around 30 EVs, it means that by the time 2026 rolls around, Austin will have 60 on the road.
A much more modest figure than the previously proposed 500.
Will the Robotaxis be ditching safety drivers in 2026?
Despite offering autonomous driving, Tesla currently has to have a safety driver onboard, unlike rivals Waymo, which operate completely autonomously.
Back in September, Musk said that the safety drivers would likely be removed by the end of the year.
“The safety driver is just there for the first few months to be extra safe,” he wrote on X.
“Should be no safety driver by end of year.”
As yet, there’s been no update when this might happen.
But a recent update to the Robotaxi App includes a new Live Screen Sharing feature, as well as introducing the ability to allow Tesla access to video and audio from inside the EV.
This could help pave the way for the company’s support teams to assist customers without the need for safety drivers.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
