Tesla Extends Robotaxi Hours Again, Now Until Midnight

Tesla’s Austin Robotaxi service now runs from 6 a.m. to midnight, adding another hour as Tesla works toward round-the-clock rides with FSD v15.

Nehal Malik

October 17, 2026

Tesla has extended its Robotaxi hours in Austin again. Rides are now available until midnight, bringing service hours to 6 a.m. through 12 a.m., as @ethanmckanna pointed out on X.

The Robotaxi app is also sending riders a notification about the change, informing them that rides are now available until midnight (via @aaronjcash).

Cybercab now expanded to midnight! pic.twitter.com/n9ZV9vR8on
— Aaron Cash - ABetterTheater.com (@aaronjcash) October 17, 2026

Robotaxi Hours Keep Creeping Later

This is the latest in a series of small extensions. Tesla expanded Robotaxi hours in August to run from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Then, about two weeks ago, it pushed the nighttime limit to 11 p.m. while adding more than 100 Cybercabs to its Austin fleet (now up to 300+ with rides expected to open in Dallas next).

The ultimate goal is uninterrupted 24/7 service. Tesla VP of AI Ashok Elluswamy has said FSD v15 will unlock round-the-clock Robotaxi operations, with a fleet-wide rollout to Robotaxi vehicles targeted for this month. FSD v15 is a 10x parameter upgrade, increasing the neural network to about 10 billion parameters from roughly one billion. As @ethanmckanna put it, “Seems like 24/7 isn’t far away.”

What’s Standing in the Way of 24/7?

Nighttime driving is the main hurdle. Musk said earlier this month that the main thing Tesla is trying to solve is avoiding pets that are hard to see at night, describing the challenge as spotting “grey kittens on grey tarmac in the dark.” Adding an hour at a time suggests Tesla is easing into later hours while it works on that problem.

Tesla’s Robotaxi service is also facing federal scrutiny. NHTSA recently opened an inquiry into claims that Robotaxis sped through active school zones, covering about 1,000 Model Y and Cybercab vehicles. None of the four incidents NHTSA identified involved a crash or injury, and the agency hasn’t decided whether to open a formal investigation.

With service now ending at midnight, only a six-hour overnight window stands between Tesla and 24/7 Robotaxi rides. Whether that gap closes this month will likely depend on when FSD v15 reaches the Robotaxi fleet.