Tesla Applied For A Ride-Hailing Permit In California - But There's A Catch
Tesla has made a huge bet on autonomous or "full-self driving." Elon Musk has touted Teslas as being hardware-ready for the technology for nearly a decade (that may not be true). And Tesla claims it's prepping for a rollout. The brand unveiled the driverless Cybercab in December.
tesla
Tesla
Tesla is an innovative electric vehicle and clean energy company founded by Martin Eberhard, and Marc Tarpenning and led by Elon Musk. Known for revolutionizing the automotive industry, Tesla produces premium electric cars combining cutting-edge technology, long-range batteries, and sleek design. Its lineup includes the Model S, 3, X, and Y, with the Cybertruck joining recently. Beyond cars, Tesla develops energy solutions like solar panels and Powerwall batteries. The brand symbolizes luxury, sustainability, and technological advancement, distinguished by features like Autopilot self-driving capability and over-the-air software updates. Despite controversies, Tesla remains a leader in the EV market and sustainable technology.
Musk announced in a January Q4 earnings call that unsupervised full-self driving will roll out in Austin, Texas in June 2025. The true value of autonomous driving for Tesla may not be selling pricey FSD packages to consumers but starting a ride-hailing service. Tesla reportedly took a big step in that direction by applying to be a ride-hailing service in California. But they did so with a big caveat.
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Tesla Applied To Operate A Ride-Hailing Service... With Drivers
Tesla Cybercab Robotaxi TopSpeed (16)-1
Bloomberg reported that Tesla filed for a permit from the California Public Utilities Commission. But the permit is to operate a ride-hailing service with drivers. Per the report, Tesla has no pending application with the commission for driverless vehicle testing—Tesla autonomous vehicles test there with a safety driver—or deployment.
Operating with a safety driver first is prudent. But it does beg the question of how close to "full self-driving" Tesla really is. An autonomous driving system that works most of the time but occasionally breaks laws and puts the driver and others at risk is not a viable self-driving system. And reports from Tesla's "Autopilot automatic assisted driving on urban roads" rollout in China suggest Tesla's technology still struggles with issues like crossing over onto bus and bike lines and making illegal turns.
Ride-Hailing Could Be Very Lucrative, If Tesla Nails The Technology
Tesla
Much of Tesla's value is tied to future technology rather than car sales. Ride-hailing is a major reason why. Musk has been presenting the vision to shareholders since he promised to get a fleet of self-driving Tesla robotaxis on the road by 2020.
Essentially, any Tesla would be able to operate as an automated taxi. Tesla could deploy its huge fleet of used vehicles coming off leases into the field as taxis. Tesla owners could use their depreciated used vehicles (suddenly much more valuable) as taxis with Tesla getting a cut of the profit. Picture Tesla competing with Uber and Lyft in every city — but without any human labor costs or profit-sharing with drivers. Tesla could make a massive profit and drive down prices low enough to drive competitors out of business.
TopSpeed's Take
Tesla
There are reasons to be skeptical about Tesla's autonomous driving claims. Again, Musk has been touting the technology as just around the corner for nearly a decade. General Motors, chasing the same dream, abandoned the project entirely.
There's also the small matter of Elon Musk getting heavily involved in right-wing politics. Backlash against Tesla for his political involvement has been fierce. Even if Tesla does achieve autonomous driving and can field an army of robotaxis, the public — already skeptical of the technology in isolation — would need to be willing to use it.
