Tesla robots navigate traffic jams: out of 25 cars there is no driver, but they still move

Short Chronicle of Tesla Robotaxi Development

Period What happened January 2023 In Texas, where the largest plant and headquarters are located, the first ever robotaxi service by Tesla launched. Last quarter (January–March 2024) The service expanded to Dallas and Houston. Currently 25 out of 165 vehicles operate without drivers.

What a driverless taxi looks like
* At the start of the project Tesla placed observers in the front passenger seat. They could manually stop the car and, if necessary, take the wheel.
* Later the company allowed these operators to be moved into special escort cars that followed fully autonomous robotaxis.

Why there are still drivers in California
* Local laws prohibit removing people from taxis. Therefore in San Francisco most vehicles look like ordinary taxis: only control is often handed over to on‑board automation.
* According to Robotaxi Tracker (link to Electrek), in the last 30 days in the US there were 165 active Tesla robotaxis, but 107 of them were used with drivers in California.

Statistics on autonomous cars
Region Autonomous vehicles Austin19 (growth from less than 10 in January) Dallas3 (previously 1) Houston3 (previously 1)

Thus, the total number of unmanned taxis is 25 out of 165.

Comparison with competitors
* Waymo – about 3,000 driverless taxis in 20 US cities, making more than 500 000 paid trips per week.
* Tesla’s progress is noticeable but still modest compared to the industry leader.

Looking Ahead
Elon Musk continues to set ambitious goals for the robotaxi division, but real growth in the number of fully autonomous vehicles in the US remains limited. Nevertheless, over a year since Tesla’s services launched, there has been a gradual increase in driverless taxis and an expansion of their operating geography.