Tesla’s Robotaxi Ambitions Hit a Reality Check

While Musk remains bullish on the program’s trajectory, citing expansion into new cities and an increasing number of riders, internal data tells a more complicated story. Mileage statistics remain essentially flat, and the fleet of available vehicles appears to be contracting rather than growing. These metrics stand in stark contrast to the company’s public narrative of rapid, unhindered progress.

Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s head of AI, defended the current strategy by pointing to 380,000 miles logged across six cities in two states. He maintained that the company’s camera-only approach remains superior to the sensor-heavy systems favored by competitors. “Historically, the so-called experts have always claimed that you need lidars, radars, HD maps, and the entire kitchen sink to drive safely,” Elluswamy remarked. Yet, as the company insists on its safety record, the gap between these technical claims and the stagnant growth figures continues to invite scrutiny from analysts and observers alike.