Tesla, Uber, and Waymo have received permits to operate robotaxis in Las Vegas County
The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles unanimously approved permits for Tesla, Uber, and Waymo to provide commercial robotaxi services in Clark County, where Las Vegas is located. Over the next 12 months, these permits will allow for the deployment of up to 8,000 self-driving taxis, according to TechCrunch.
Tesla received permission to operate up to 5,000 robotaxis. Waymo will be able to operate up to 1,000 autonomous vehicles over the course of the year. Uber has also received permission to operate up to 1,000 robotaxis through partnerships with its subsidiary Hyundai Motional and Zoox. Zoox already holds a separate permit to operate a network of autonomous vehicles, which allows it to operate 100 robotaxis.
At the same time, the actual number of vehicles on the roads may be lower than the established limits. Eric Early, chief engineer of Cybercab at Tesla, stated during the meeting that the 5,000-vehicle figure had always been a ceiling for the company. According to him, Tesla is unlikely to be able to deploy that many vehicles in a year, and the company will consider a result of approximately 2,500 robotaxis—or slightly more—a success.
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Representatives of the Livery Operators Association and local taxi companies opposed the issuance of permits. Their representative, attorney Kimberly Maxon-Rashon, expressed concern about a potential oversaturation of the commercial transportation market and traffic congestion, particularly in the Golden Triangle area between the airport and Las Vegas Boulevard. According to TechCrunch, that is where most autonomous vehicle testing has taken place to date.
During the hearings, Uber endorsed a hybrid model in which ride-hailing networks use both human drivers and robotaxis simultaneously. The company noted that this approach would allow cities to gradually integrate autonomous vehicles to meet peak demand without flooding the market with a large number of vehicles at once.
