August 27, 2025 – On Tuesday morning local time, Tesla once again broadened the geofenced area for its Robotaxi service in Austin, a move that further solidifies its competitive edge over Waymo in the city’s autonomous taxi market.
The rivalry between Tesla and Waymo in Austin’s self-driving taxi sector has been intense, with both companies constantly responding to each other’s expansion strategies.
Tesla has made another significant leap in extending its Robotaxi’s operational zone. This latest expansion has left Waymo far behind in Austin, with a notably wide gap. Tesla’s new geofence now encompasses approximately 171 square miles, covering both downtown Austin and its suburbs. This is more than double the size of Waymo’s geofenced area, which stands at just 90 square miles.
On July 14, Tesla’s service area in Austin officially surpassed that of Waymo. However, Waymo quickly retaliated only a few days later, increasing its service zone from 37 square miles to 90 square miles. Instead of responding immediately, Tesla focused on conducting validation vehicle tests in the suburbs of Austin.
Today’s expansion could be seen as Tesla’s most substantial step yet in its efforts to grow its Robotaxi platform. Not only has the company significantly enlarged the geofenced area, but it has also ventured into the suburbs and even included its Texas Gigafactory within the service zone.
It’s likely that Waymo will respond again, just as it did when Tesla expanded its operations at the end of July.
