Overview
- Nevada’s Transportation Authority, which approved the permit on July 27, capped Tesla’s initial robotaxi operation at 10 vehicles inside a geofenced Las Vegas Strip corridor.
- The permit sets a 45 mph speed limit, requires each car to be labeled “Robotaxi,” and bars pickups or drop‑offs within a quarter mile of Harry Reid International Airport without separate aviation approval.
- Regulators require “appropriate human oversight” during service but did not specify whether that oversight must be an in‑vehicle safety driver or can be done remotely, and Tesla must report crashes, security incidents, system failures, communication interruptions or disabled vehicles within five working days.
- Tesla is pressing ahead with local preparations, spending $3.1 million to retrofit a 37,000‑square‑foot facility with lifts and chargers while hiring staff and testing gold‑badged vehicles on Las Vegas roads.
- The small permit leaves Tesla behind competitors such as Amazon‑owned Zoox, which has approval for up to 100 vehicles and has begun paid service, and means Tesla must return to regulators for any fleet growth or wider service area.