No. of Recommendations: 2
Ride hailing permits in general can take a long time. So knowing the long time lines required, why hasn't Tesla at least started the permit process in a number of jurisdictions even if they intend to roll it out slowly? The reasons are pretty clear: Tesla doesn't think their tech is good enough to pass the regulatory hurdles. They won't apply for permits until they think they can get them.
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So even if the tech is ready, the safety driver will still be there by the end of the year for regulatory reasons alone.
The only important question is the tech. Who cares about the rest? If the tech is ready, it will be rolled out when it's rolled out, and Tesla will make a fortune. If the tech isn't ready, then they won't apply for permits because they wouldn't get them anyways, and if they did, they would lose them as soon as accidents started happening. Whether this takes a few months or 6 or 12 or 18 months doesn't really change the present value of the company very much.
No one really knows whether the tech is almost ready or not, but I would say the early signs from Austin and San Francisco look pretty encouraging. Could be wrong.
