AUSTIN, Texas — Tesla's robotaxi ambitions in Nevada just expanded by a factor of roughly 500, after state regulators cleared the company to put thousands of driverless cars on the road across the Las Vegas region.
The Nevada Transportation Authority voted unanimously on August 20 to approve Tesla's full Autonomous Vehicle Network Company permit, authorizing up to 5,000 driverless vehicles across Clark County over the next 12 months. The decision replaces an interim order that had capped Tesla at just 10 robotaxis on a narrow stretch of the Las Vegas Strip, with a 45 mph ceiling and no airport pickups.
From 10 cars to 5,000
The new commercial permit lifts nearly all of those limits, extending Tesla's operating authority across an approved area of Clark County for paid rides. Tesla had applied for exactly this scale back in June, and regulators — after first issuing the smaller interim version — granted the full request. Commercial rides are expected to begin within about 30 days, pending vehicle inspections, insurance filings and fare approval.
Tesla was not the only winner: Waymo and Uber received permits for up to 1,000 vehicles each in the same session, clearing the way for as many as 7,000 paid robotaxis countywide. But Tesla's ceiling is by far the largest, a sign that Nevada regulators see the company's camera-based Full Self-Driving approach as ready for prime time. The move builds on Tesla's expansion across seven metro areas earlier this summer.
