Nevada approved only 10 of 5,000 Tesla robotaxis requested for Las Vegas

Nevada regulators granted Tesla a permit to operate driverless taxis in Las Vegas last month, but capped the fleet at just ten vehicles — a fraction of the 5,000 the company had requested. The permit, issued by the Nevada Transportation Authority on July 27, also restricts operations to an approved stretch of the Las Vegas Strip, bans pickups at Harry Reid International Airport, and limits speed to 45 mph.

Tesla Robotaxi, LLC filed its application in early June, seeking an Autonomous Vehicle Network Company permit for all of Clark County. The company requested authority to deploy up to 5,000 vehicles within the first 12 months and specifically named Harry Reid International Airport and Henderson Executive Airport as pickup locations. The Authority's decision, however, imposed a strict fleet cap of ten fully autonomous vehicles, confined to a geofence that the regulator must still approve.

Every vehicle must be labeled "robotaxi," passengers must be informed they are riding without a driver, and each trip requires "appropriate human supervision." To expand the fleet beyond ten, Tesla will have to return to the Authority for a new approval. The regulator has not publicly explained why the 5,000-vehicle request was reduced to a ten-vehicle permit.

For comparison, Amazon's Zoox holds the first AVNC permit in Nevada, with its most recent amendment — issued July 16, eleven days before Tesla's — authorizing a fleet limited to 100 vehicles. Zoox currently operates roughly 50 robotaxis on the Strip and has already begun charging for rides. The disparity highlights the cautious approach Nevada regulators are taking with Tesla's entry into the autonomous ride-hailing market, even as the company pushes for a far larger and more ambitious deployment.