EVwire brief: Tesla has received Nevada approval to operate up to 5,000 fully autonomous Robotaxis over the next 12 months, clearing the way for the company to launch paid public service in Las Vegas and expand beyond the tiny fleet allowed under its earlier interim authorization.
The Nevada Transportation Authority approved Tesla’s full Autonomous Vehicle Network Company permit on August 20 following its four-hour general session. According to the commission meeting and reporting from the session, the new approval replaces Tesla’s previous interim order, which had limited the company to just 10 vehicles operating within a defined Las Vegas Strip corridor.
The 5,000-vehicle figure is a ceiling rather than an immediate deployment target. Tesla Cybercab chief engineer Eric Early told the commission that Tesla would be “extremely happy” to reach roughly 2,500 vehicles in Nevada over the next year. Initial fleets of robotaxis will be Model Y units, with Cybercabs following later on.
Las Vegas’ Tesla Robotaxi fleet will initially be comprised of Model Y units, similar to those deployed in Texas.
Tesla still has a few administrative steps to complete before commercial rides begin, including vehicle inspections, insurance and submitting its transportation rates. Sawyer Merritt, who watched the NTA meeting live, reported that Tesla expects those steps to take roughly 30 days.
The permit is also broader than the original Clark County application suggests at first glance. The NTA application requested service throughout Clark County, including Harry Reid International and Henderson Executive Airport, with up to 5,000 vehicles during the first year.
Context:
The Cybercab’s unusual two-seat, steering-wheel-free design has raised plenty of questions about how passengers with disabilities will actually use the vehicle. Tesla’s Cybercab engineering lead addressed some of those questions during the Nevada meeting, describing accessibility as an area the company is actively designing into its autonomous vehicles. He also noted that Austin will be the first location where the Cybercab will be deployed.
The features discussed include braille integrated into the vehicle, grab and support points for getting in and out, and a seat position designed to be at roughly the same height as a standard wheelchair. The Cybercab’s large door is also designed to move out of the way to make ingress and egress easier.
Tesla is also working on a wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV) as a separate part of its autonomous mobility plans. The company’s broader goal, as described during the meeting, is to make autonomous transportation useful to people who currently face mobility limitations rather than treating accessibility as an afterthought.
Source: Sawyer Merritt on X
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