Tesla Robotaxi Launches in San Antonio, Austin Grows 63%

Tesla’s Robotaxi service added its second new city in a week on Monday. Rides opened in San Antonio, Texas, at 5 a.m. local time on November 9, and on the same day Tesla said a bigger Austin service area was live. Here is what changed, what Tesla has and has not said, and why it matters to owners in Canada, where FSD (Supervised) is still the only option.

San Antonio: the biggest launch map yet

Tesla’s official Robotaxi account announced the San Antonio launch just after midnight, with a map of the launch geofence. TechCrunch and Not a Tesla App both reported the 5 a.m. start. According to measurements by the independent Robotaxi Tracker, cited by Electrek and Not a Tesla App, the San Antonio zone covers about 274 square miles. That is the largest area Tesla has ever opened on day one.

The map runs from Loop 1604 on the north side down to just south of downtown, and covers nearly everything inside Loop 410. San Antonio International Airport sits inside the polygon, but Electrek reports it is not served.

Tesla did not say how many vehicles will serve San Antonio, what the hours are, whether safety monitors ride along, or whether the two-seat Cybercab will be part of the fleet, TechCrunch noted. Electrek reported that, as of Monday morning, Robotaxi Tracker had not logged a single Tesla Robotaxi in the city. Expect the usual pattern: a small fleet at first that grows over the following weeks.

San Antonio was not a surprise. Tesla named it alongside Las Vegas, Phoenix and Jacksonville as upcoming Robotaxi markets in October. It follows Fort Worth, which launched on November 2.

Austin grows by 63%

The same day, Tesla expanded its original Robotaxi market. Not a Tesla App reports that the Austin service area grew by about 171 square miles, from roughly 272 to about 443 square miles, an increase of 63%. The map now pushes east past Pflugerville, southeast well beyond Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, southwest toward Buda and west toward Lakeway.

Hours are growing too. Not a Tesla App reports that Austin rides now run from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m., an hour earlier than before. That builds on the 2 a.m. extension and Calm Mode added a few weeks ago.

Advertised maps versus real coverage

Bigger maps do not always mean you can get a ride everywhere on them. Electrek points to an independent check that found Tesla’s Austin app accepted pickups and drop-offs in only about 59% of the advertised zone, with much of the gap on the east side of town. Railroad crossings appear to be one factor. San Antonio has not been tested the same way yet.

Waymo is the main rival in San Antonio. It opened its service there to all riders in October, and Robotaxi Tracker lists its zone at about 59 square miles, much smaller than Tesla’s advertised map.

Where Tesla Robotaxi runs now

With San Antonio, Tesla offers unsupervised Robotaxi rides in eight cities. Here are the advertised sizes, as reported by Not a Tesla App:

Austin: about 443 square miles
San Antonio: about 274 square miles
Houston: about 254 square miles
Fort Worth: about 143 square miles
Dallas: about 81 square miles
Miami: about 31 square miles
Orlando: about 26 square miles
Tampa: about 24 square miles

Every one of these markets is in Texas or Florida. None of them has to deal with regular snow and ice.

What it means for Canadian owners

No Robotaxi in Canada yet. Tesla has not announced any Canadian Robotaxi city or timeline. In Canada, your car runs FSD (Supervised), which needs an attentive driver at all times.

The software is shared. Tesla’s release notes for FSD (Supervised) v14.3.13, which has reached HW4 cars in Canada, say Tesla “unified the model between Actually Smart Summon, FSD, and Robotaxi.” In other words, lessons from these Texas cities feed the same driving model that runs on your car. Our v14.3.13 update guide covers the details for Canadian owners.

Winter is the big test. A larger map in Texas says little about driverless service on a slushy 401. Watch for any Robotaxi launch in a snow-belt city before expecting one here. Waymo’s plan for Toronto rides around 2028 will likely be the first Canadian robotaxi benchmark.

Heading to Texas this winter? Austin and San Antonio are now the two largest Tesla Robotaxi zones. If you plan to try a ride, check the Robotaxi app for current hours and pickup areas before you go.

Would you trust a driverless Tesla in a Canadian winter, or does it need more time? Tell us with 18.0K owners in Tesla Model Y & 3 [Ontario, Canada], Canada’s most active Tesla Facebook group, and in our X community Tesla Model* [Ontario, Canada].

Tesla Robotaxi Launches in San Antonio as Austin Area Grows 63%