Tesla’s Rocket-Shaped Robotaxi Map in Houston Is Partly ‘Fake,’ Former Employee Says

Tesla’s newly expanded Robotaxi service in Houston is drawing sharp criticism from Ethan McKanna, creator of Robotaxi Tracker and a former Tesla employee. McKanna says the rocket-shaped service area on Tesla’s map includes parts of downtown where the autonomous vehicles won’t actually pick up passengers. After riding the service following Monday’s expansion, he called Houston “by far the most egregious ‘fake’ AV service area” he has seen. One trip quote showed a Robotaxi taking about 40 minutes to travel just two blocks, highlighting potential routing inefficiencies. The discrepancy matters because it could mislead riders about coverage and erode trust in Tesla’s autonomous ride-hailing ambitions. As Tesla races to scale Robotaxi, accurate mapping and transparency will be key to winning over both regulators and the public.