Tesla's Robotaxi Promises Are Empty: Zero Miles Logged, No Permits, Now Suing Regulators

"In terms of taxi vehicles carrying paid customers, I think we're well over 500 at this point between the Bay Area and Austin. This will probably double every month type of thing. It's on an exponential curve. Given that we're still in the early phase of our fleet deployment, are still doing a lot of validation testing. The revenue and cost per mile metrics are not meaningful to discuss at the moment."

"A big factor would be if there's some kind of federal preemption for autonomous vehicles. In the absence of that, you have to go on a city-by-city or state-by-state basis. Tesla has disclosed that FSD regulatory approval remains pending in both China and Europe, listing it as an active risk factor in its filings."

Tesla's robotaxi operations remain in early validation phases despite CEO Elon Musk's claims of rapid expansion. The company operates approximately 500 vehicles in the Bay Area and Austin, projecting monthly doubling growth. However, CFO Vaibhav Taneja acknowledged that revenue and cost-per-mile metrics are not yet meaningful to discuss. Tesla holds no commercial robotaxi permits in major U.S. markets and has disclosed no significant revenue from autonomous ride-hailing operations. The regulatory landscape presents substantial obstacles, requiring city-by-city and state-by-state approvals in the absence of federal preemption. Tesla's initiation of legal action against regulators indicates frustration with the permitting process rather than confidence in near-term regulatory resolution.

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