A Texas A&M student's online tracker reveals Tesla's robotaxi service in Austin uses just 32 Model Y vehicles, with fewer than 10 providing rides at once—highlighting the gap with Elon Musk's rapid growth pledges following this month's driverless test launch.
Building on Tesla's unsupervised robotaxi trials that began December 14 in Austin, a tracker by Texas A&M engineering student Ethan McKanna shows the fleet totals only 32 Model Y vehicles. Data from API pings every five minutes across service areas indicates fewer than 10 cars are available concurrently, often leaving gaps in coverage.
McKanna reverse-engineered the ride-hailing app, counting vehicles as available if wait times are offered and unavailable for errors like 'high service demand.' This aligns with the June launch using about a dozen cars with safety monitors, which Musk claimed had 'doubled.'
The operations still rely on human interventions amid reported violations, contrasting Musk's vision of thousands soon and millions nationwide by 2026. Recent sightings of two Cybercabs testing downtown signal next steps, with production ramp-up expected in under 125 days.
