The robotaxi wars are heating up in Dallas. Tesla launched its robotaxi service in Dallas and Houston with a post on X Saturday, showing video of its robotaxis driving along both cities’ streets without any humans inside. As of this writing, the post has had over 25 million views.

The Dallas rollout features Model Y electric vehicles equipped with Tesla’s latest self-driving software. The initial service area is limited to a portion of central Dallas running from downtown northward to Northwest Highway, as seen below:

Tesla Robotaxi Houston and Dallas service areas. [Image: Tesla Robotaxi/X]

Details are thin so far, including how many robotaxis are actually operating on Dallas streets and whether they will be fully driverless or have a safety monitor behind the wheel. Tesla has previously stated that when its robotaxis operate without a safety monitor, the vehicles are remotely driven as needed by human operators.

Waymo, Uber/Avride, and Zoox are competitors

The Tesla launch comes two months after Waymo launched its own driverless robotaxi service in Dallas and Houston, with no humans behind the wheel. In December, a partnership between Uber and Austin-based Avride launched a robaxi service in Dallas, but with safety drivers behind the wheel for now. Zoox, another robotaxi service that’s owned by Amazon, recently announced plans to open a new depot in Dallas to prepare for the rollout of its own toaster-like robotaxis in the city. 

Tesla launched its first robotaxi service in Austin last June. 

Video still: Tesla Robotaxi

To order a Tesla robotaxi in Dallas, first you need to download the app of the autonomous ride service. (For now, only iPhones are supported, but an Android version of the app is said to be in the works.) The Tesla Robotaxi service is offered daily from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.—with introductory rates undercutting competitor pricing by about half, according to multiple reports. 

Cybercabs are coming ‘later’

Tesla Cybercab [Photo: Tesla]

According to the company’s website, Tesla’s purpose-built Cybercab robotaxis will be offering rides in Dallas “in the future.” These will be two-passenger, fully autonomous robotaxis without a steering wheel or pedal in sight, featuring butterfly doors and a 200-mile range. 

Elon Musk heralded the weekend launch in a reposting on X, saying “Try Tesla Robotaxi in Dallas & Houston!”

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