Tesla Operates 42 Autonomous Vehicles in Texas, Waymo Has 577
State records show Tesla maintains a smaller robotaxi fleet in Texas than Waymo and two other operators. The data were released under a new Texas Department of Motor Vehicles authorization process that began on Thursday.
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles records list 42 registered autonomous vehicles for Tesla in the state. Waymo operates 577 vehicles, Avride 317, and Nuro 47 under the same filing system. The figures were disclosed after a new state authorization process for autonomous-vehicle companies took effect on Thursday. The records cover vehicles operating on public roads.
Tesla began a limited robotaxi pilot in Austin in June 2025, initially restricting rides to invited users and keeping employees in the front seat. In January, Tesla vice president of AI software Ashok Elluswamy stated that some vehicles had begun operating without a human monitor.
Tesla states on its website that the service is also available in parts of Dallas and Houston. Waymo launched a driverless service in Austin in March 2025 through a partnership with Uber and later expanded to Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. The company temporarily suspended rides in those cities last month due to concerns about vehicle performance on flooded roads.
Key Facts
Story Timeline
4 events- June 2025
Tesla launched a limited robotaxi pilot in Austin.
1 sourceBusiness Insider - March 2025
Waymo launched a driverless service in Austin via Uber partnership.
1 sourceBusiness Insider - January 2026
Tesla executive stated some robotaxis operated without human monitors.
1 sourceBusiness Insider - May 2026
Texas DMV released new autonomous-vehicle registration data.
1 sourceBusiness Insider
Potential Impact
- 01
Texas regulators now have public data on the size of each autonomous fleet operating in the state.
- 02
Waymo temporarily suspended service in three Texas cities last month over flooded-road performance.
Transparency Panel
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