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- Tesla registered over 220 test drivers and 100 vehicles for an autonomous driving permit in California.
- It registered 59 drivers and 14 vehicles in a previous application from 2022.
- Obtaining the permit doesn’t mean Tesla will use it. The last time it reported doing so was in 2019.
Tesla has ramped up its autonomous testing capabilities in California.
In December, the electric-car maker registered 224 in-house test drivers and 104 vehicles in the state for an autonomous testing permit, according to public records viewed by Business Insider.
It’s an uptick from 2022, the last time Tesla filed for the permit. That year, it registered 59 drivers and 14 vehicles.
The surge in test drivers comes as the clock ticks for the company to fulfill Elon Musk’s promise of bringing a Robotaxi to market within the year. Tesla’s stock has continued to drop, and is down more than 40% year-to-date over lackluster sales numbers and Musk’s polarizing role in the US government, after hitting an all-time high after Donald Trump’s election victory.
The permit, first granted in 2015, allows the carmaker to conduct what’s known as level 3 testing, which lets the autonomous driving software assume a greater degree of control over the vehicle. It still requires a licensed driver to monitor the vehicle and take over when needed, but testing it is one of the first steps Tesla must take to roll out its self-driving technology in the state.
Obtaining the permit doesn’t necessarily mean Tesla will use it. Companies are required to report usage — measured by mileage and the number of times human test drivers take control of the vehicles — every year.
Tesla hasn’t reported using the permit since 2019. The company has long maintained that it conducts level 2 testing, focused on unreleased versions of the driver-assist software already available in customers’ cars.
Tesla submitted paperwork for the registrations to the California Department of Motor Vehicles in December. The registrations, which cost about $8,700 in total, are in effect for 2025 and 2026. The permit can be renewed every two years.
In November, after some test drivers told Business Insider they pushed Tesla’s self-driving software to its limit, the California DMV asked Tesla whether its testing aligned with what the state permit allows, public records show.
In an emailed response to the DMV, Tesla’s director of field reliability said the company was testing driver-assist software similar to what Tesla customers already have in their vehicles. Test drivers underwent “rigorous” training, per the email, including when to intervene in “unsafe” situations and when to avoid taking over during “safe but undesired vehicle behaviors” like missing a turn or frequently changing lanes.
A spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
Musk has said the carmaker plans to roll out robotaxis in some California cities by the end of the year. Bloomberg reported in February that the company had filed for a permit with the California Public Utilities Commission, which would allow the carmaker to operate an autonomous ride-hailing service.
The Tesla CEO has repeatedly emphasized that much of Tesla’s value revolves around its self-driving technology. Tesla’s stock has plummeted in recent weeks, and JP Morgan analysts said in a note to investors on Wednesday that the company had lost so much value since Musk took on his advisory role in government that they couldn’t find another comparable drop in automotive history.
Even Tesla bull Dan Ives sounded an alarm: The analyst wrote on Tuesday that Tesla and Musk are facing a “moment of truth” as investors grow weary of Musk’s focus on DOGE.
Tesla’s dropping value puts pressure on the company’s Robotaxi efforts. Ives said he puts “90%” of Tesla’s value over the next few years on the company’s autonomous technology and humanoid robot. Tesla has yet to file for a permit that would allow it to test the vehicle without a safety driver — a milestone that self-driving car startups Waymo and Zoox hit in 2020 and 2023, respectively.
The company has been on a hiring spree for test drivers across the country. In February, it hosted hiring events in Las Vegas and Dallas, according to a recruiter’s post on X. It also posted openings for test drivers in several towns in Texas, Nevada, and California.
In Austin, Tesla has met with members of the city’s autonomous vehicle taskforce and discussed robotaxi training for local emergency responders, according to emails viewed by Business Insider. Unlike California, Texas has few regulations around autonomous driving; vehicles are only required to be insured and capable of obeying traffic laws.
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