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

Tesla
is working furiously to hitch 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, based on CEO Elon Musk. Its Full Self-Driving (FSD) platform has additionally been mounting enhancements.

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

FSD’s spotty track record
.

The unpopularity contest

Misjudging your viewers

Whereas it is smart 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 certainly one of its best-known occasions is Eeyore’s Birthday, a free pageant filled 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 broaden the present protests, and there is even the danger of vandalism and sabotage, given different well-publicized incidents across the US. Till Musk is compelled out of Tesla — assuming that ever occurs — there is a distinct risk that the one clients utilizing his robotaxis will likely be vacationers, Republicans, and apolitical varieties.

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Dealing with the competitors (and the town)

Penned in by Alphabet and MoPac

Waymo

Even when Austin had 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 (by 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 usually, with a commanding lead over different US rivals like Zoox.

Tesla does have a bonus in that it has been capable of take a look at FSD in a variety of circumstances, because of a mixture of its personal information and that from personal automotive homeowners. It stays to be seen, nevertheless, if that may translate into the robotaxi world, a lot much less beat Waymo’s personal observe document. Tesla has been conducting some advance testing on Austin streets, so it is no less than conscious that it could possibly’t hit the bottom operating.

On high that, Austin itself is liable to be an impediment. There is a motive Waymo solely operates in a small space from Parker Lane within the south to Hyde Park within the north — getting anyplace else is difficult with out taking highways like MoPac (Loop 1), I35, and 183, and robotaxi providers usually keep away from highways in gentle of the dangers concerned. Tesla will most likely should function beneath the identical circumstances, intensifying its competitors with Waymo and limiting what number of passengers it could possibly appeal to. Enormous suburban areas like Spherical Rock and Pflugerville (each of which I’ve lived in) will likely be out of attain, and main company workplaces belonging to Apple and Dell will likely be inaccessible.

I am not even assured Tesla’s FSD tech will be capable of sort out Austin terrain (reliably). Having pushed these streets myself, I do know that there are many awkward intersections, by no means thoughts attempting to navigate them throughout development, 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 highway. All robotaxis are inclined to drive overly cautiously, generally impeding visitors, so there’s the potential for some critical visitors jams, significantly realizing that taxis from one firm haven’t got a means of speaking with these from one other. A Waymo and a Mannequin Y stopped on a highway like sixth or Congress would generate chaos.

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Is the state of affairs actually that dire?

Some last ideas

Tesla

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

There is also components I have never thought of. Possibly some liberal Austinites will likely be keen to disregard Musk’s politics for the sake of a trip residence from sixth Road — perhaps 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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