Tesla’s unregulated Robotaxi fleet has grown to a total of 25 vehicles in three cities in Texas, according to Robotaxi Tracker data. While that number falls well below Elon Musk’s expectations, it represents the first real signs of growth nearly a year after the program launched.

Tesla has increased the number of unregulated vehicles in the cities of Austin, Dallas and Houston over the past few weeks. This is a remarkable change after months of stagnation, during which the fleet remained almost flat.

Limited growth in Robotaxi program

Overall fleet data on Tesla’s Robotaxi program paints a very limited picture. The total number of active vehicles has barely increased since the program started in Austin last June.

Tesla currently has 165 total active vehicles seen in the last 30 days. However, 107 of these vehicles consist of vehicles that use the controlled Full Self-Driving software instead of the uncontrolled Robotaxi service that the company has established as its main business model.

The uncontrolled fleet, which is truly important for Robotaxi goals, consists of only 25 verified vehicles. 19 of these vehicles are in service in Austin, 3 in Dallas and 3 in Houston.

When the graphics specific to uncontrolled vehicles are examined, it is seen that the number, which has been close to zero for a long time, is on the rise. While this increase was largely driven by the additions in Austin, Dallas and Houston also joined the program on April 18.

Robotaxi Tracker data shows that the number of unregulated fleets rose from single digits in January to 25 by the end of April. While these figures are not a huge jump, they do end a long period of stagnation.

Fleet lagging behind the competition

Tesla’s unregulated fleet of 25 vehicles is quite small compared to its competitors in the industry. Waymo currently operates nearly 3,000 robotaxis in 10 US cities and handles more than 500,000 paid rides weekly.

Waymo raised $16 billion in February plans to expand into London and Tokyo and is actively rolling out its Ojai platform. Tesla’s vehicles, on the other hand, operate only in small areas in Texas where autonomous vehicle regulations are minimal.

Reports shared in February revealed that these tools were active less than 30 percent of the time. This usage rate remains well below the level required for a successful ride-hailing business model.

Tesla also postponed its expansion schedule in five new cities, which was scheduled to begin in the first half of 2026. While only Dallas and Houston were included in the program, both cities initially launched service with a single vehicle.

Tesla still has a long way to go to scale this program and turn it into a sustainable business model. Do you think Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet will be able to get closer to its Competitors in the coming period?