- Will Tesla launch robotaxis in California by December 31?4¢4%
Tesla's lack of California driverless permits from the DMV and CPUC drives the 95% market-implied odds against a robotaxi launch by year-end. The company operates only supervised rides with a safety driver in the Bay Area under a basic charter-party carrier permit, while holding no autonomous vehicle testing or deployment approvals and having submitted negligible test miles for regulatory credit. Regulators distinguish clearly between Level 2 Full Self-Driving and true unsupervised operation, and a new state law adds emergency-response requirements that take effect later. Tesla continues expanding unsupervised service in Texas and Florida metros instead, with customer unsupervised FSD now targeted for Q2 2027. An unexpected fast-track approval in the remaining weeks remains possible but faces substantial procedural and data hurdles.
Rules
This market will resolve to "Yes" if Tesla publicly launches a self-driving taxi service in California by December 31, 2026, 11:59 PM ET. Otherwise, this market will resolve to "No". Any taxi service available to the general public which operates without a human driver actively controlling the vehicle will count, regardless of membership or other financial restrictions. Services which are limited to Tesla employees or a limited test group without general access will not qualify. This market's resolution source will be a consensus of credible reporting.