Robotaxis Hit Orlando: What You Need to Know About Waymo and Tesla’s Driverless Cars in Central Florida

A car pulls up, flashes your name in the app, and the front seat is completely empty. No driver. No steering wheel touches. It sounds like science fiction, but it’s happening right now in Central Florida. In this episode of Tech Talk with Refresh Computers, technician Adam Littlefield walks us through everything you need to know about Waymo and Tesla Robotaxi services rolling through Orlando — plus practical tips on hurricane season tech prep and how to silence those relentless spam calls.

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Robotaxis Are Here: Waymo and Tesla in Orlando

If you’ve been driving around Central Florida lately, you’ve probably spotted vehicles covered in spinning sensors cruising through city streets — with no one behind the wheel. Those are Waymo autonomous vehicles, and they’ve been expanding their presence across the region. As of this week, Tesla has also launched its own Robotaxi service in Orlando and Tampa, making Central Florida one of the most exciting testing grounds for driverless car technology in the country.

How Do These Cars Actually Drive Themselves?

It’s not magic — it’s layers of technology working together. Waymo’s vehicles use a combination of three key sensor systems:

• Cameras — To see road lines, curbs, other vehicles, and pedestrians, just like your eyes.
• Radar — To measure speed and distance, even through rain and poor visibility.
• LiDAR — A laser-based sensor that builds a detailed 3D map of everything around the car, dozens of times per second.

The key concept here is redundancy. Cameras can be fooled by glare. Radar can’t see shapes very well. LiDAR doesn’t love heavy rain. But when all three systems work together, they cover each other’s blind spots. That’s the whole point — no single sensor has to be perfect because the others pick up the slack.

Waymo’s robotaxis have been involved in 68% fewer collisions on a per-mile-traveled basis compared to regular human drivers. Tesla has logged over 12 billion self-driven miles on their software. The safety data is starting to speak for itself.

They’re Not Perfect — Meet the “Edge Cases”

Even with all that technology, these vehicles still have hiccups. There have been reports of Waymos driving straight into flooded streets in Atlanta, navigation glitches causing dozens of cars to clog a residential neighborhood, and vehicles getting stuck in drive-throughs and intersections. In the autonomous vehicle world, these situations are called “edge cases” — the 2% of driving scenarios that the technology still struggles with. Think of it like handing a new driver the keys: they can handle most situations, but the unexpected ones can still trip them up.

Where Can You Actually Ride?

Both services operate within specific geofenced boundaries, and neither one goes on major highways like I-4. Here’s the current breakdown:

• Waymo covers roughly 60 square miles, including portions of downtown Orlando and areas near Universal theme parks. No highway access, so trips may take longer routes.
• Tesla Robotaxi covers about 12–15 square miles, mainly in the Lee Vista area between the 417 and Curry Ford Road. It does not reach the airport or any theme parks yet.

Hailing a ride works just like Uber or Lyft — you open the app, request a ride, and an empty vehicle shows up. Waymo displays markers to help you identify your car, while Tesla provides the vehicle color and license plate number. Just make sure you’re getting into the right one!

Why Florida? And What Does It Mean for Rideshare Drivers?

Florida’s sunshine, wide-open roads, and easy-to-map geography make it ideal for autonomous vehicles. But the biggest factor is tourism. Millions of visitors come to Florida every year and don’t know the roads — a driverless taxi is a natural fit. As these services expand across Orlando, Tampa, and Miami, though, there are real questions about what this means for traditional rideshare and taxi drivers. It’s a shift worth watching closely.

We Don’t Just Fix PCs: Macs, PlayStations, Switches, and More

A lot of people hear “Refresh Computers” and assume we only work on Windows desktops and laptops. The truth is, we repair a much wider range of devices:

• MacBooks and iMacs — including board-level repair, charger replacements, batteries, and body replacements. We’ve even received referrals directly from the Apple Store for older machines they won’t service.
• PlayStation and Xbox consoles — HDMI port replacements, overheating fixes (repasting and cleaning), and more.
• Nintendo Switch and handheld consoles — charging port repairs and other hardware issues.
• Controller stick drift — one of the most common complaints from gamers, and something we fix regularly.

It’s summertime, and the kids are gaming for hours. If your console is overheating or shutting down mid-game, it’s usually caused by dust buildup and old thermal paste — bring it in and we’ll take care of it.

Hurricane Season Tech Preparedness: Power Is Everything

Despite a record-breaking El Niño that has Colorado State cutting its hurricane forecast to just nine named storms, a quiet season is never an excuse to skip preparation. When the power goes out — and in Florida it’s always a matter of when, not if — your phone becomes your radio, flashlight, bank, insurance portal, and lifeline to family. Keeping it charged is critical.

Battery Banks and Portable Power Stations

• A 20,000–25,000 mAh battery bank costs less than a tank of gas and can charge your phone four to five times.
• Portable power stations (like those from Jackery or Anker Solix) are larger battery boxes with regular wall outlets. They’re silent, produce no fumes, and are safe to use indoors — unlike generators.
• A 1,000 watt-hour unit can run a 50-watt laptop for 18–20 hours. Larger units (up to 7,680 watt-hours) can power refrigerators, freezers, or even portable AC units.
• Solar panel attachments let you recharge these stations after the storm passes, even without grid power.

Look for LFP Battery Chemistry

When shopping for power stations, look for ones that use LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries. They last longer, charge faster, and don’t degrade as much when stored at 100% charge compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries. That said, don’t leave them plugged in 24/7 — just charge them up and store them properly.

Don’t forget: your car is a power source too. And if you drive an EV, charge it to 100% before a storm hits. Many EV trucks now support vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging, meaning you can power your entire home from your driveway.

Also, remember to back up all your important files before storm season. A single lightning strike can wreak havoc on plugged-in electronics.

How to Stop Spam Calls on iPhone and Android

If your phone rings 20–30 times a day with calls from “Spam Likely,” you’re not alone. The good news? Your phone already has built-in tools to silence them.

On iPhone

• Go to Settings → Apps → Phone.
• Find “Silence Unknown Callers” and switch it on.
• Calls from numbers not in your contacts, recent calls, or email will go silently to voicemail.

On Android

• Open your Phone app and tap the three dots in the top right corner.
• Go to Settings → Caller ID and Spam.
• Turn on Spam Filtering. Google’s system can even screen calls for you, showing a live transcript of what the caller says before you decide to pick up.

Don’t Forget Your Carrier’s Free Tools

AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile all offer free spam-blocking features through their apps. Turn them on to catch known spam numbers before they ever reach your phone.

If you accidentally pick up a robocall, don’t say “yes” or “no” — scammers can record your voice. Just hang up. If it’s important, they’ll leave a voicemail.

Need Tech Help? Refresh Computers Has You Covered

Whether you need a PC repair, Mac service, gaming console fix, hurricane prep advice, or help locking down your phone from spam calls, the team at Refresh Computers is here to help. Visit us at our Longwood store at 820 E. State Road 434 (just 3.5 miles east of I-4), open Monday through Saturday from 9 AM to 7 PM. You can also call our free tech support hotline at 407-478-8200 or browse our inventory and podcast episodes at refreshcomputers.net. Don’t forget — Florida’s tax-free holiday runs through August 20th, so now is a great time to upgrade your computer and save!