The Nevada Transportation Authority (NTA) on Thursday, August 20, 2026, unanimously approved commercial Autonomous Vehicle Network Company (AVNC) permits for Tesla, Uber and Waymo to run paid robotaxi services across Clark County — home to Las Vegas — potentially adding up to 7,000 additional driverless vehicles on Nevada streets over the next 12 months.
Tesla up to 5,000, Waymo and Uber up to 1,000 each
Tesla's permit allows the company to operate as many as 5,000 robotaxis in the county, replacing an interim order that had capped it at just 10 vehicles on a narrow stretch of the Las Vegas Strip. Waymo and Uber each received permission for up to 1,000 vehicles; Uber will operate its fleet through partnerships with Hyundai-owned Motional and Amazon-owned Zoox. Zoox already holds an AVNC permit covering 100 vehicles, taking the county's approved ceiling to roughly 7,100 driverless cars.
Companies signal slower ramp than the paper ceiling suggests
Testimony at the four-hour NTA meeting indicated the sticker numbers overstate near-term reality. “The 5,000 has always been a ceiling for us,” Tesla Cybercab chief engineer Eric Early told commissioners, adding that Tesla would be “extremely happy and satisfied” to reach 2,500 vehicles in the next year. Local taxi and livery operators formally opposed the permits, warning of oversaturation and congestion around the airport-to-Strip “Golden Triangle,” where most autonomous testing has been concentrated.
Vegas becomes the marquee robotaxi battleground
The approvals turn Clark County into the highest-profile head-to-head market for U.S. robotaxi rollout, on top of Waymo's fast Allegiant Stadium partnership with the Raiders and Uber's recent Tokyo pilot with Hinomaru Kōtsū, Wayve and Nissan. Uber has continued to push a hybrid model in which human drivers handle demand peaks alongside driverless fleets — a stance that puts it at odds with Tesla and Waymo's fully autonomous strategies.
Reporting based on coverage from TechCrunch, Engadget and the Nevada Transportation Authority.