Overview

• The new expansion is the third since late June, lifting the Austin service area to roughly 130 square miles from about 80 square miles earlier this month.
• Coverage now reaches Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas, Austin–Bergstrom International Airport, and the western suburb of Bee Cave where validation cars were recently seen testing.
• The service remains paid and invite-only with a safety operator seated in the passenger seat during rides.
• EV reports the footprint now exceeds Waymo’s Austin coverage, though Waymo’s rides are public and operate without in‑car human monitors.
• The U.S. Department of Transportation and NHTSA sought details on the pilot in July, and NHTSA says Tesla submitted responses that are being treated as confidential.