Tesla’s rocket-shaped Robotaxi map in Houston is partly ‘fake’

According to Electrek, Tesla’s expanded Houston Robotaxi zone was drawn as a rocket that covers downtown areas where the service will not actually pick up riders, said Ethan McKanna, creator of Robotaxi Tracker and former Tesla employee.

McKanna found the app refuses pickups inside the published polygon in downtown, and a sample quote showed a 40‑minute ride for a two‑block trip because the vehicle detours around railroad crossings through Midtown and the Medical Center before looping back. He said wait times are reasonable and driving feels better than recent Waymo rides.

Electrek notes Waymo’s Orlando map shrank about 10 square miles after its tracker removed an airport that appeared on the map but was not yet served. McKanna applies the same standard to both companies, and the article says Tesla favored a marketing‑driven rocket shape over real service coverage.

Source

Tesla’s rocket-shaped Robotaxi map in Houston is partly ‘fake’ — Electrek