Tesla launched Robotaxi rides in San Antonio on Monday, November 9th, and expanded its Austin service area by about 63% the same morning. San Antonio is the eighth city where Tesla offers driverless Robotaxi service.
Shortly after midnight on November 9th, Tesla announced that Robotaxi service in San Antonio would begin at 5 a.m. Central time. At 5 a.m., Tesla also confirmed that its expanded Austin service area was live as well. Tesla did not state how many Robotaxis would be in service in San Antonio.
San Antonio Launches With Tesla’s Largest Map on the First Day
San Antonio’s new coverage map spans about 274 square miles (710 square kilometers), according to independent Robotaxi Tracker estimates cited by Electrek. It includes downtown, most neighborhoods inside Loop 410 and areas farther north. Not a Tesla App reports that the Model Y Robotaxi serves the new market.
That mapped area is more than four times Waymo’s roughly 59 square miles (153 square kilometers) in San Antonio. However, Waymo serves San Antonio International Airport, while Tesla does not, despite including the airport inside its drawn boundary. As of Monday morning, the Robotaxi Tracker had not recorded any Tesla vehicles serving San Antonio, Electrek reported.
Austin’s Map Expands From 272 to 443 Square Miles
Tesla’s Austin map grew from 272 to 443 square miles (704 to 1,147 square kilometers), an estimated 171 square miles more, according to figures reported by Drive Tesla. Robotaxi Tracker also measures the new zone at 443 square miles, Electrek reported. That is a 62.9% increase, based on outside measurements of Tesla’s maps. Tesla’s own posts gave no area numbers.
Tesla’s service maps don’t guarantee rides everywhere inside them. Koby Pierce, who tracks Tesla’s service on X, tested thousands of locations in Tesla’s Robotaxi app and found that passengers could only request pickups or drop-offs at about 59% of Austin’s previous service area, though those spots covered 83% of its residents. This was recorded before the November 9th expansion. San Antonio’s new map has had little time to be tested independently. Pierce plans to check Waymo’s maps next.
The Robotaxi Tracker counted 453 Tesla driverless vehicles in Austin and 666 nationwide. Tesla’s Robotaxis also serve Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, Miami, Orlando and Tampa.
EVXL previously reported Austin’s map expansion in June. I also covered Cybercab testing in Detroit, but the new San Antonio service is being reported as a Model Y rollout.
For U.S. riders, the change is more potential pickup and drop-off locations in San Antonio and Austin. Actual availability still depends on the app accepting an address and on a vehicle being assigned.
EVXL’s Take
Tesla is expanding its advertised Robotaxi footprint faster than it is publishing usable pickup coverage or local fleet counts. The San Antonio map is larger than Waymo’s, but it excludes the airport. The service map is a starting point. Completed rides, wait times and actual pickup locations will show how useful the expansion is and how well the rides work.
Sources: Tesla Robotaxi on X (San Antonio), Tesla Robotaxi on X (Austin), Electrek, Not a Tesla App, Drive Tesla, Tesla Q2 2026 Update.
EVXL uses automated tools to support research and source retrieval. All reporting is by Damien Kesteloo, edited by Haye Kesteloo.
