Tesla announced this week the expansion of its "Robotaxi" service to Dallas and Houston, Texas. The move marks the first foray of Elon Musk's autonomous fleet outside Austin, its initial base. However, what should be a technological milestone for urban mobility appears, thus far, to be a superficial operation.
Data from the Robotaxi Tracker platform reveals that vehicle availability in the new markets is virtually nonexistent. During the first 24 hours of operation, readiness rates in Houston and Dallas fluctuated between 0% and 2%. There was only a brief peak of 50% during a restricted morning window, before the supply vanished again. This scenario suggests that Tesla deployed only one or two cars in each city to justify the "launch" announcement.
The strategy raises suspicions among industry analysts. The timing of the expansion coincides with the upcoming release of the company's earnings report, suggesting the maneuver aims to sustain the innovation narrative and inflate stock value. For a company that promises to revolutionize transportation, delivering a phantom fleet reinforces skepticism regarding the actual readiness of its autonomous driving technology.
With information from Electrek.
Source · Electrek
