Nevada regulators cleared Tesla to run 5,000 robotaxis in the state, well ahead of the 1,000 vehicles approved for rivals Waymo and Aviari. The approval lands as CEO Elon Musk's broader robotaxi timeline keeps slipping, even as the company works a second growth bet: a September event marking the opening of its Tesla Semi factory.
Nevada regulators cleared Tesla to launch 5,000 robotaxis in the state on Aug. 24. Alphabet's Waymo and rival Aviari were approved for 1,000 vehicles.
Why Nevada matters to Tesla's valuation
The approval matters because Tesla's $1.1 trillion valuation is tied less to car sales than to future bets such as robotics and artificial intelligence. Robotaxis could be the company's largest long-term opportunity: some experts predict the global industry will eventually be worth $10 trillion worldwide.
Musk's robotaxi timeline keeps slipping
Musk has set aggressive robotaxi targets before that didn't hold up. In mid-2025, he predicted autonomous ride-hailing across half the U.S. population by year's end; that never happened. Musk later told investors to expect "no safety driver by end of year" for the robotaxis, a pledge that also went unmet.
At the start of 2026, Musk again raised expectations, saying Tesla would have fully autonomous vehicles in a quarter to half of the U.S. by year-end, pending regulatory approval, and operating in dozens of major cities. That timeline will likely not come true this late in the year.
A second growth bet: the Tesla Semi
Tesla is also trying to jump-start its long-struggling Semi truck line. The company will hold an invite-only event on Sept. 24 to mark the opening of a new Semi factory, with factory tours and ride-alongs for attendees.
Interest has picked up since Einride AB ordered 500 Semis, roughly tripling the truck's cumulative sales. But cost remains a barrier to wider adoption: the Semi runs about $350,000 with its charger, versus roughly $165,000 for a diesel truck. McKinsey & Co. sees autonomous trucking taking off in the U.S. by 2032, just five years away.
Sources: The Motley Fool, The Motley Fool
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