Tesla gets green light to test autopilot in Nevada, ahead of potential robotaxi roll out

Elon Musk’s Tesla has been given the green light to test autonomous vehicles in Nevada.

Tesla submitted its application to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain a testing registry certificate on Sept. 3, according to department spokeswoman Hailey Foster. That application was processed by the DMV’s business licensing team on Sept. 12, and the registry certificate and autonomous plates were sent to Tesla the same day, Foster noted.

“This means that Tesla is currently cleared to test autonomous vehicles in Nevada, but nothing is in operation yet (no robotaxis or anything of the sort),” Foster said in a Thursday email to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The registry from the DMV is only for testing purposes, and Tesla would need to obtain Autonomous Vehicle Network Company certification from the Nevada Transportation Authority before launching a robotaxi service in Las Vegas.

During a July earnings call, Musk said Tesla planned to further its Robotaxi operations from Austin, Texas, to other states, including Nevada.

“We’re getting the regulatory permission to launch in the Bay Area, Nevada, Arizona and Florida,” Musk said. “Once we get the approvals and we prove out safety, then we’ll be launching autonomous ride hailing.”

Tesla is also hiring for a Henderson-based job centered around collecting self-driving data, troubleshooting and responding to problems when they arise.

Tesla has an office space in Henderson located off St. Rose Parkway and the 215 Beltway in the Green Valley Corporate Center South complex. The business license was issued in May 2024 and notes the space is used as an office space and contact center.

Tesla operates a demonstration drive program at the Henderson office, where people can sign up for a test drive and pick a vehicle up without the assistance of staff. Self-driving mode is an option for those looking to test a vehicle, including the CyberTruck, Model X and Model Y. The company also has three other locations where interested parties can test drive their vehicles.

Vegas Loop autonomous testing

Musk’s other entity, the Boring Company, also has been testing autonomous driving of Teslas in the Vegas Loop, according to Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

There’s no time frame for when the self-driving operations would be used during everyday passenger rides, but Hill said with the Vegas Loop being a closed system that it would be an easier place to implement that, compared to above ground on public roadways.

“We’re not going to do it until it’s completely safe,” Hill said. “Our customers are going to require that, we’re going to require that because of the importance to the whole community of what we do at the convention center. It’s already safer than if somebody is driving the car, but the spotlight is so intense on autonomous vehicles they have to be basically perfect.”

Hill has no doubt that autonomous vehicles will be driven in the Vegas Loop at some point in the future.

“But it’s not something we’re putting a stopwatch on,” he said. “It’s purely based on the safety.”

The Vegas Loop has four stations at the Las Vegas Convention Center and three offshoot stations at Encore, Resorts World and Westgate. The first of two loops run from 4744 Paradise Road to the Westgate, with eight planned stations in between, according to a post on X by Boring Co.

At full build-out the Vegas Loop is expected to feature 68 miles of tunnels with 104 stations across the resort corridor into downtown, including stations at Circa, Allegiant Stadium, Chinatown, the majority of resorts on the Strip and near Harry Reid International Airport.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.