Tesla got approved to test robotaxis in Nevada last week. Sounds big until you realize Nevada hands out autonomous testing permits like Costco samples. Fill out a form, show $5 million in insurance, boom - you're testing self-driving cars in Vegas.
I've been following this regulatory circus since 2019. California makes you file 47 different documents, submit quarterly reports, and prove your car won't kill anyone before they'll let you test on public roads. Nevada basically says "don't crash" and gives you red license plates.
Which explains why Amazon's Zoox started giving free robotaxi rides in Vegas this week while Tesla's still celebrating getting permission to test. Zoox has those weird cube-shaped cars that look like rolling toasters, but they're actually picking up passengers on the Strip. Tesla's got Model Ys with nobody in the driver's seat, but they can't charge anyone for rides yet.
Motional and Lyft have been testing there for years. Nuro built an entire test track. Tesla's showing up late to a party that started before FSD was even a thing.
The Austin "robotaxi" service they launched this summer still puts a Tesla employee in the passenger seat "for safety." That's not autonomous, that's babysitting with extra steps. If you need a human ready to grab the wheel, your car isn't driving itself.
Nevada's permit only covers testing, not commercial operations. To actually make money giving people rides, Tesla needs another approval from the Nevada Transportation Authority. More bureaucracy, more waiting.
Remember when Musk said Tesla would have robotaxis serving half the US population by end of 2025? We're in September. That's four months to go from one Texas city to covering 165 million Americans. Same guy who's been promising robotaxi revenue "next year" since 2019.
I tried FSD Beta v12 last month on my Model Y. It's impressive until it tries to change lanes into a concrete barrier or stops in the middle of an intersection because it got confused by a construction cone. Great for highway cruising, terrifying in city traffic.
Vegas traffic is going to eat FSD alive. Drunk tourists stumbling across crosswalks, taxi drivers who think turn signals are optional, and construction zones that change daily. If Tesla's cars can handle the Strip without causing a multi-car pileup, I'll be genuinely impressed.
This permit lets you spot Model Ys driving around Vegas with empty driver's seats. Cool? Sure. Revolutionary? Not when your competitors are already charging money for actual rides.
The real test isn't getting regulatory approval - it's whether FSD can handle real-world chaos without needing a human to take over every five minutes. Based on my experience, we're not there yet. Not even close.