Tesla touts California robotaxis but does nothing to get permits

[groundloop]

Source: Reuters

For more than a year, Elon Musk has repeatedly said Tesla is months away from launching a driverless robotaxi service in California – once state regulators give their blessing.

Tesla did nothing to secure that approval in 2025, according to previously unreported state Department of Motor Vehicles records and a state spokesperson. Tesla logged zero miles of autonomous test driving on California roads last year for the sixth year in a row, the records show.

Documenting test miles is critical in California’s regulatory system for robotaxis, which requires companies to progress through a series of permits before being allowed to operate a driverless ride-hailing service such as Alphabet's.

Much of Tesla’s $1.5 trillion market value is tied to investors’ belief that it will soon operate a vast fleet of robotaxis and sell millions of autonomous-driving software subscriptions. Operating driverless vehicles in California – the largest U.S. auto market – is a linchpin of those ambitions.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/musk-touts-california-robotaxis-tesla-does-nothing-get-permits-2026-02-26/

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Gee, who'd have thought.... Elmo making claims which he can't deliver on.

[CanonRay]

1. I'm beginning to think it's all a scam

What business is Tesla in exactly. They're backing out of cars, and aren't yet doing Robotaxis, and probably never will. So....

[RainCaster]

2. Muskrat promised self driving Teslas for years

So many suckers paid extra to get that promised feature that never arrived. This is no different.

[Quanto Magnus]

3. I thought Elon wasn't going to be in California anymore.....

yes We know he was lying about that.

I work as a motorcycle funeral escort. I have to deal with these self driving vehicles all the time.

I almost had to sit on the front of a Cruze vehicle because it kept moving while I was holding an intersection.

I actually affected a change with Waymo when one of their cars drove through my procession despite my signalling otherwise -- gave them the associated C.V.C. they violated (at least they were responsive, checked the car's video and said they would make a change). I was plesantly surprized by their fast response and open communications with me.

I would not expect the same kind of response from an Elon based company (I would probably receive insults based on his normal behavior). The thought of having Tesla robotaxis driving around makes me very nervous given Elon lied for YEARS about his FSD software.