Tesla(US:TSLA) Benzingaยท2025-09-23 04:54Core Insights - Tesla's ride-hailing expansion in the San Francisco Bay Area has raised concerns among state officials regarding the lack of necessary permits for autonomous operations [2][5] - The company is under scrutiny for conducting operations under a limousine license rather than an on-demand ride-hailing license [2] - Tesla's ambitious target is to serve over half the U.S. population with robotaxis by the end of the year [7] Regulatory Concerns - Officials from NHTSA and the California State Transport Agency expressed alarm over Tesla's ride-hailing expansion [1] - Emails between regulators and Tesla employees revealed inquiries about clarifying the nature of Tesla's operations to address misconceptions [3][4] - Tesla has not publicly clarified its operations despite requests from state officials [4] Operational Developments - Tesla has expanded its Robotaxi operations in Austin, now operating on highways with a safety monitor relocated to the driver's seat [5] - The company has obtained a permit for testing operations in Arizona, specifically in the Phoenix metropolitan area [6] - Tesla is actively seeking safety operators for its Robotaxi testing in New York City, offering over $33 per hour for the position [6] Strategic Goals - Elon Musk outlined a target to have over 10 million active Full Self-Driving (FSD) subscriptions and a million Robotaxis as part of his new compensation package [9] - The updated definition of FSD indicates that the current system does not enable fully autonomous driving [8][10] Financial Metrics - Tesla scores well on momentum and growth metrics, while showing satisfactory quality but poor value [11]