&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Tesla Robotaxi Austin map looks oddly strange, and internet can't get over Musk's comment")
Tesla has expanded its Robotaxi business in Austin, Texas, and the map of the area covered is raising eyebrows. The robotaxi geofence has a phallic shape, and some people think that the only reason Musk expanded the map was to indulge in some juvenile-level humour. The new map was rolled out on July 14, and some of the first ones to use it noticed an odd pattern - the geofence looks like a penis. There is no clarity on whether it was intentional; however, Musk's own words accompanying the map and the expansion hint that he is well aware of what he has done. The Tesla CEO reposted a photo of the Robotaxi geofence with the words - “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger." The official Robotaxi account also announced the new areas covered with the penis-shaped mask, in a post that read: “Just expanded our surface area… We’re big eggplant fans!” Musk then quote-tweeted the post, with the phrase, “Bigger, longer and uncut,” followed by a laughing emoji. Also Read: Amid feud with Donald Trump, Elon Musk's AI firm bags crucial US government contract
Other users pointed out that Tesla's geofence is now larger than Waymo's by a few square miles. An expert observer wrote in Electrek that this latest expansion, adding new areas in Austin, serves no functional purpose and seems intended purely to indulge Musk’s well-known taste for juvenile humour. He also pointed out the billionaire's fixation with the numbers "69" and "420." Others also think that the new geofencing has no practical justification. As the penis-shaped Robotaxi map went viral, criticism also started pouring in. Musk is unfazed by it and took a jibe at the media in another post on X, “And they take themselves so seriously." Also Read: Musk teases Tesla–xAI deal: 'If it was up to me, we’d have invested long ago,' leaves decision to shareholders
Tesla employee in front seat of Robotaxi with hands on kill switch
After being launched in June, Tesla's Robotaxis were only available to a few tech influencers and investors in Zilker, South Lamar, South Congress, East Riverside Otorff, and part of the Lakeshore and the Rainey Street Historic District. At the time, Waymo's geofence was about twice as large, Business Insider reported. The Robotaxi had a Tesla employee in the front seat with a finger on a kill switch at all times. It offered rides in Robotaxi on an invite-only basis for $4.20 a ride. Musk had announced last week that the Robotaxi service area would be expanded by the weekend. In April, he said that the company would rapidly "scale up robotaxis after the launch", and by the second half of 2026, "millions of Teslas" would be out and about on the streets.
Questions are now being raised about how serious Musk is about the Robotaxi. Tesla share prices are down about 20 per cent since Donald Trump was elected president last year. Musk's has since led a non-govt department DOGE to cut down on federal costs followed by a very public spat with the president.
