By Jim Carchidi
July 21, 2026
Tesla’s Robotaxi program has officially begun operations in Orlando and Tampa. The announcement was made on Tuesday with city maps posted to the company’s X account.
Aggressive expansion
Orlando and Tampa are the second and third Florida cities to offer the platform after a Miami rollout earlier this month. The additions were announced one day before Tesla’s second-quarter earnings call.
Robotaxi launched in Austin last summer and in Dallas and Houston earlier this year. Supervised testing is currently being conducted in California's San Francisco Bay area.
Navigating the competition
The announcement comes five months after Waymo entered the Central Florida market. Each service relies on different navigation systems, but both services are available through downloadable apps.
Waymo uses fully-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles designed to operate autonomously. Cameras, radar, and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors are combined with AI to navigate and predict movement without a human driver. Human controllers can provide remote assistance when necessary.
Tesla's Model Y is among the company vehicles beginning the Robotaxi service. A fleet of Cybercab vehicles (below) will take over at a later date. Images courtesy of Tesla
Robotaxi is beginning in most areas with Tesla's Model Y and will introduce the purpose-built Cybercabs at a later date. The vehicles will offer two seats with a front-mounted electric motor. A 50-kWh battery pack will deliver about 280 miles of driving range.
Robotaxi navigation employs cameras paired with AI-based software to process 360-degree video feeds. The system recognizes traffic lights, pedestrians, and road layouts while receiving remote assistance from human controllers when necessary.
Rider experience and coverage area
Waymo and Robotaxi rider experiences can be customized with in-app features and vehicle-mounted touchscreens that include climate control, seat positioning, and music streaming. Settings are saved in a passenger profile and can be applied to each ride. Tesla’s Robotaxi app can also transfer some driver-profile settings saved in Tesla owner accounts.
Waymo covers select areas surrounding the I4 corridor, from downtown Orlando to just south of the SeaWorld area. The Robotaxi ride zone covers eastern and southeastern Orlando including the Conway and Lee Vista areas. The outer perimeter is bounded by the Beachline Expressway to the south and the Central Florida GreeneWay to the east.
Tesla did not release the number of vehicles in the Orlando or Tampa fleets and there is no time frame for the Cybercab vehicle to replace the Model Y.
For more information about the Robotaxi service and to download the app, visit the Robotaxi page on the Tesla website.
Sponsor: The Orlando Real is sponsored by the Pozek Group — the #1 real estate team in Orlando and the Official Real Estate Team of the Orlando Magic.
About the Author
Jim Carchidi is an Orlando journalist and photographer with previous work at the Orlando Sentinel and Orlando Business Journal. He covers development, arts, culture, and local stories for The Orlando Real.
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