Overview

• Elon Musk confirmed that the Austin pilot’s geofenced area will expand this weekend, though he did not specify its size or layout.
• Tesla intends to begin robotaxi operations in the Bay Area within a month or two, subject to California DMV and CPUC permit approvals.
• Early social media footage from Austin tests documented vehicles veering into oncoming lanes and minor collisions, prompting mandatory front-seat safety monitors.
• Texas’s lenient regulatory framework facilitated the Austin rollout last month, in contrast to California’s requirement for multiple permits, with only the CPUC’s initial approval secured so far.
• The push to scale leverages Tesla’s vision-only Full Self-Driving system as it competes with Waymo’s established fleet of over 1,500 paid robotaxis using multi-sensor hardware.