Tesla Fails to Take Steps for California Self-Driving Cars Despite Musk’s Claims

Despite Elon Musk's repeated promises that Tesla robotaxis are coming soon to California, state records show the company hasn't logged any autonomous test miles there in six years. Tesla holds only a basic permit and hasn't applied for the advanced approvals needed to operate driverless vehicles commercially.

Despite more than a year of promises from Elon Musk that Tesla’s self-driving robotaxi service would launch in California within months, state records reveal the electric vehicle company took no concrete steps toward obtaining necessary regulatory approval in 2025.

According to previously undisclosed Department of Motor Vehicles data and statements from state officials, Tesla recorded zero autonomous testing miles on California highways last year, marking the sixth consecutive year without any documented test driving.

California’s regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles requires companies to accumulate substantial testing data as they advance through multiple permit levels before launching commercial driverless ride services like Waymo, operated by Google’s parent company Alphabet.

Tesla’s massive $1.5 trillion valuation largely depends on investor confidence that the company will soon deploy extensive robotaxi networks and generate revenue from millions of self-driving software subscriptions. Success in California, America’s biggest automotive market, represents a crucial component of these business plans.

Bryant Walker Smith, who teaches law at the University of South Carolina and specializes in autonomous vehicle technology while consulting for California’s DMV, explained that Tesla creates the impression “they are ready and regulators are not,” when actually “regulators are ready, and they are not.”

Tesla declined to provide comment for this story. During an October earnings conference call, Musk informed financial analysts the company maintains a “paranoid about safety” philosophy and adopts a “cautious approach” when entering new markets. “We probably could just let it loose in these cities,” he stated, “but we just don’t want to take a chance.”

Currently, Tesla runs only a limited pilot robotaxi program in Austin, Texas, where regulatory requirements are significantly less stringent than California’s standards.

Last July in the San Francisco Bay region, Tesla launched what it marketed as a “robotaxi” service that state regulators and company disclosures confirm is actually a chauffeur service. Human drivers operate the vehicles using Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” assistance technology, which does not provide complete autonomy.

To legally operate truly autonomous vehicles in California like Waymo does, Tesla must first secure permits from both the state DMV for testing and operations, plus approval from the Public Utilities Commission, which oversees commercial ride-sharing businesses.

Tesla currently possesses only the most basic DMV permit, allowing driverless vehicle testing exclusively with human safety monitors present in the driver’s seat. A DMV representative confirmed Tesla has submitted no applications for additional permits.

Under proposed DMV regulations expected to become final this year, Tesla would need to complete at least 50,000 miles of autonomous driving on California public roads with safety drivers before qualifying to apply for permits allowing testing without human monitors.

Since 2019, Tesla has reported zero testing miles to state authorities, with only 562 total miles documented since 2016.

In contrast, Waymo accumulated over 13 million testing miles and obtained seven separate regulatory approvals between 2014 and 2023, when it received authorization to charge passengers for fully driverless robotaxi rides. Waymo stands among just three companies holding California permits for commercial autonomous vehicle operations and remains the only one approved to run robotaxi fleets resembling Musk’s vision.

In written feedback last year, Tesla challenged several of California DMV’s proposed autonomous vehicle rule changes, disputing requirements for public road testing and minimum mileage thresholds. The company also objected to what it called “overly burdensome reporting requirements” for accidents and system malfunctions.

Musk frequently portrays California regulations as the primary obstacle preventing robotaxi deployment in the state. During an October 2024 earnings call, he described California as having a “quite a long regulatory approval process.”

“I’d be shocked if we don’t get approved next year,” he continued, “but it’s just not something we totally control.”