Nevada is preparing for a major expansion of autonomous transportation after the Nevada Transportation Authority unanimously approved permits for Tesla, Uber and Waymo to operate commercial robotaxi services in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas.

The approvals could allow the three companies to deploy as many as 8,000 autonomous vehicles over the next year, potentially making the region one of the largest robotaxi markets in the United States.

Tesla received approval for up to 5,000 robotaxis, while Waymo was authorized to operate as many as 1,000 autonomous vehicles.

Uber also received permission for 1,000 vehicles through partnerships with autonomous vehicle companies Motional and Zoox. Zoox already has a separate permit allowing it to operate up to 100 robotaxis in the area.

Despite the size of the approvals, the companies indicated that they may not reach the maximum numbers within the next 12 months.
Tesla executive Eric Early said the 5,000 vehicle figure should be viewed as a ceiling rather than a target.

He suggested the company would be satisfied if it could deploy around 2,500 vehicles or slightly more during the period.

The expansion is expected to intensify competition among autonomous transportation companies in Las Vegas while potentially changing the local transportation workforce.

Supporters believe the industry could create new employment opportunities in areas such as vehicle maintenance, charging and cleaning, while critics fear autonomous vehicles could reduce opportunities for taxi and ride hailing drivers.

Local taxi operators and representatives of the Livery Operators Association opposed the permits, arguing that the rapid introduction of thousands of autonomous vehicles could overcrowd already busy roads and create excessive competition.

Uber has supported a mixed transportation model in which human drivers and robotaxis operate alongside each other, allowing cities to gradually increase autonomous services according to demand.

Source:Techcrunch