Tesla, Uber and Waymo cleared for Nevada robotaxis
Tesla, Uber and Waymo won unanimous Nevada Transportation Authority approval Thursday to run commercial robotaxis in Clark County, home to Las Vegas. The permits cover up to 8,000 vehicles over 12 months—Tesla up to 5,000, Waymo and Uber 1,000 each—signaling a major autonomous ride-hailing push.
The green light puts three of the biggest names in autonomy and ride-hailing on the same Las Vegas-area map at once. Together, the caps would allow a rapid build-out if the companies can actually field the fleets. For more on autonomy and AI transport, see our Future Tech & AI Wonders coverage.
Key Takeaways
- The Nevada Transportation Authority approved three commercial robotaxi permits for Clark County on Thursday.
- Combined caps reach about 8,000 vehicles over the next year: Tesla 5,000; Waymo 1,000; Uber 1,000.
- Uber plans to run its allotment via partners Motional and Zoox; Zoox already holds a permit for 100 robotaxis.
- Tesla says 5,000 is a ceiling and doubts it will hit that number within a year.
- Local taxi and livery groups opposed the permits over market saturation and roadway crowding.
What did Nevada approve for Tesla, Uber and Waymo?
According to TechCrunch, the Nevada Transportation Authority unanimously approved permits letting Tesla, Uber, and Waymo operate commercial robotaxi services in Clark County.
Tesla’s permit allows up to 5,000 robotaxis. Waymo may operate up to 1,000 autonomous vehicles over the next year. Uber was approved for 1,000 robotaxis through partnerships with Hyundai subsidiary Motional and Zoox.
Zoox already holds an autonomous vehicle network company permit for 100 robotaxis. Combined, the new approvals point to as many as 8,000 robotaxis across the county in 12 months.
Will thousands of robotaxis really hit Las Vegas roads?
Permit ceilings are not launch schedules. Testimony at the hearing suggested the full totals are unlikely soon.
Eric Early, Tesla’s Cybercab chief engineer, called the 5,000 figure “a ceiling.” He said Tesla would be “extremely happy” to reach about 2,500 vehicles—or a bit higher—within a year, and that the limit was not a technology issue.
Even at half the approved totals, Clark County—and Las Vegas in particular—would become a crowded robotaxi battleground among Tesla, Waymo, and Uber’s AV partners.
Why are local drivers and taxi groups pushing back?
Representatives from the Livery Operators Association and local taxi companies opposed the permits as moving too far, too fast.
Kimberly Maxson-Rushton, a lawyer for the Livery Operators Association, cited oversaturation of Nevada’s commercial transport market and overcrowding on roads, especially the Golden Triangle between the airport and Las Vegas Boulevard—where most AV testing has occurred. Motional is also testing downtown and in the Town Square shopping district.
Supporters and critics disagree on jobs: new roles to maintain, charge, and clean fleets versus pressure on human taxi and gig drivers. Uber has pitched a hybrid mix of human drivers and robotaxis so cities can scale gradually rather than flood the market at once—a stance that differs from fully autonomous rivals.