Tesla Approved by Nevada to Deploy Up to 5,000 Robotaxis

On August 22 local time, the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles granted Tesla a full Autonomous Vehicle Network Company operating license, allowing it to deploy up to 5,000 self-driving vehicles in Clark County over the next 12 months. This decision replaces an earlier temporary permit that restricted Tesla to operating no more than 10 robotaxis along a limited stretch of the Las Vegas Strip, with a maximum speed of 45 mph and prohibited from picking up or dropping off passengers at airports. Under the new approval, Tesla’s operational area will expand to cover all of Clark County, and the company may apply to further extend its geofenced service zone. Tesla representatives stated that the company does not plan to immediately deploy all 5,000 vehicles and expects commercial passenger services to launch within the next 30 days, pending completion of vehicle inspections, insurance filings, and fare approvals. Tesla initially applied in June 2024 to deploy a fleet of up to 5,000 autonomous vehicles in Nevada, but regulators only granted a temporary permit for 10 vehicles in July. The latest approval largely fulfills the scale originally requested by Tesla. By comparison, Zoox, owned by Amazon, has been operating in Nevada since 2025 with a previous cap of 100 vehicles. Tesla’s actual deployment numbers will depend on the rollout progress of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) v15 software.