Tesla's Robotaxi Mileage Drops 36% in Second Quarter

Tesla's nascent robotaxi network drove fewer paid miles in the second quarter than in the first, according to a chart released by the company on Wednesday. The decline contradicts Tesla's rhetoric and actions over the past year, as the company has bet heavily on a massive, low-cost robotaxi fleet.

Tesla's stock fell more than 13% in early trading Thursday following the release of second-quarter results. While the chart appears to show steady growth in paid robotaxi rides from August 2025 to June 2026, the figures are cumulative. When broken down by quarter, paid miles dropped from about 1.1 million in Q1 to roughly 700,000 in Q2, a decline of about 36%.

This decline occurred despite Tesla expanding its operation to six cities across Texas and Florida, using a mix of unsupervised and supervised vehicles. The company likely also counts paid miles driven in the San Francisco Bay Area, where its branded robotaxis lack state permits and operate with safety drivers.

The drop coincides with Tesla's admission that it needs driving data specific to the Cybercab—the purpose-built two-seater sedan—before deploying many of them. On a conference call, Elon Musk said the company must accumulate miles with retrofitted Cybercabs to calibrate the chassis. This marks a shift from previous claims that millions of customer cars were silently collecting data for robotaxi training.

Tesla executives framed the slow progress as caution about safety. Musk noted that even a single injury would generate worldwide headlines and regulatory crackdown. Tesla has reported 22 crashes to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since starting the service, though most involved other cars hitting the taxis. Three crashes were caused by teleoperators, and some involved low-speed impacts with curbs, poles, and a tow truck bed.

Despite the setbacks, Tesla touted its camera-only autonomy stack, claiming zero notable incidents in over 380,000 unsupervised miles. The company said unsupervised miles have grown about 10% weekly since late 2025, promising rapid scaling ahead.