Will anybody use Tesla’s robotaxis once they come to Austin? In all probability not

Tesla
is working furiously to affix the robotaxi market, and to nobody’s shock, the preliminary launch venue is slated to be Austin, Texas — residence to the corporate’s international HQ. Talks with the Metropolis of Austin have been underway for months, and the automaker is planning to deploy a small fleet of

Model Y
s by the top of June or July, in accordance with CEO Elon Musk. Its Full Self-Driving (FSD) platform has additionally been mounting enhancements.

Here is the factor, although — whereas I am presently in Edmonton, I spent over a decade residing in Austin, full with a Texan spouse and baby to show it. Understanding the town, I’ve critical doubts about whether or not Tesla’s robotaxis will achieve any traction there, and never simply due to

FSD’s spotty track record
.

The unpopularity contest

Misjudging your viewers

Whereas it is sensible to launch in Austin from a logistical perspective, the fact is that Elon Musk is deeply unpopular with plenty of locals, given his right-wing politics. Austin is a famously liberal metropolis, thanks partly to establishments like its music scene and the College of Texas at Austin. There is a notable LGBTQ+ district on 4th Road, and one in all its best-known occasions is Eeyore’s Birthday, a free pageant stuffed with issues like drum circles and wild costumes. There are conservative Austinites — significantly within the Republican-dominated Capitol constructing — however within the 2024 Presidential elections, over 68% of Travis County voted for Kamala Harris.

Many locals are employed by Tesla, to make certain, however even a few of them dislike their controversial boss. And the Tesla showroom in The Area has been the positioning of a number of protests attacking Musk’s affiliation with US President Donald Trump, to not point out different figures within the far-right.

I am anticipating plenty of Austinites to not solely ignore a Tesla robotaxi service, however actively boycott it. Teams could increase the present protests, and there is even the danger of vandalism and sabotage, given different well-publicized incidents across the US. Till Musk is pressured out of Tesla — assuming that ever occurs — there is a distinct risk that the one clients utilizing his robotaxis shall be vacationers, Republicans, and apolitical sorts.

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Dealing with the competitors (and the town)

Penned in by Alphabet and MoPac

Waymo

Even when Austin have been as solidly Republican as Galveston, Tesla would nonetheless be going through one other main impediment: Waymo. Alphabet’s robotaxi service has been absolutely operational in Austin (via Uber) since March 2025, and was working in different cities previous to that. It isn’t solely firmly established in metropolis limits, however within the robotaxi trade typically, with a commanding lead over different US rivals like Zoox.

Tesla does have a bonus in that it has been capable of check FSD in a variety of circumstances, because of a mixture of its personal information and that from personal automobile house owners. It stays to be seen, nonetheless, if that can translate into the robotaxi world, a lot much less beat Waymo’s personal monitor report. Tesla has been conducting some advance testing on Austin streets, so it is not less than conscious that it may’t hit the bottom operating.

On high that, Austin itself is liable to be an impediment. There is a purpose Waymo solely operates in a small space from Parker Lane within the south to Hyde Park within the north — getting wherever else is sophisticated with out taking highways like MoPac (Loop 1), I35, and 183, and robotaxi providers typically keep away from highways in mild of the dangers concerned. Tesla will in all probability need to function underneath the identical circumstances, intensifying its competitors with Waymo and limiting what number of passengers it may entice. Big suburban areas like Spherical Rock and Pflugerville (each of which I’ve lived in) shall be out of attain, and main company places of work belonging to Apple and Dell shall be inaccessible.

I am not even assured Tesla’s FSD tech will have the ability to sort out Austin terrain (reliably). Having pushed these streets myself, I do know that there are many awkward intersections, by no means thoughts making an attempt to navigate them throughout building, rush hour, or the annual SXSW pageant that pulls in 1000’s of individuals and blocks off downtown. Austinites are already complaining about how Waymo automobiles carry out — I can solely think about the nightmare of a newcomer multiplying the variety of robotaxis on the street. All robotaxis are inclined to drive overly cautiously, typically impeding site visitors, so there’s the potential for some critical site visitors jams, significantly realizing that taxis from one firm do not have a means of speaking with these from one other. A Waymo and a Mannequin Y stopped on a street like sixth or Congress would generate chaos.

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Is the scenario actually that dire?

Some last ideas

Tesla

In all probability not from Tesla’s perspective. It is planning to start out with simply 10 to twenty automobiles, and there is nearly definitely a marketplace for that. It might encounter hassle scaling up, relying on public opinion and the progress of FSD, but I doubt Musk goes to surrender on testing one in all his favourite tasks in his yard. The person is dedicated to self-driving automobiles of every kind, so I count on that nothing in need of a critical accident will power him to take robotaxis off the streets. Even then, it’d simply be a short lived setback — Uber ultimately resumed autonomous testing after the death of Elaine Herzberg in March 2018.

There may be elements I have not thought-about. Possibly some liberal Austinites shall be keen to disregard Musk’s politics for the sake of a trip residence from sixth Road — possibly there are extra conservatives downtown than I am conscious of. In any occasion, we will discover out the reality very shortly, and that might decide how Tesla’s long-term autonomous plans go.

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