Armed with a new permit from the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles, Tesla is preparing to begin testing its autonomous vehicle technology on public streets in Nevada. The testing permit, which was first noted by Tesla influencer Sawyer Merritt, comes two months after CEO Elon Musk outlined the company’s plans to take its autonomous vehicle ambitions beyond Austin and into several new markets.

“We are expecting to greatly increase the service area to well in excess of what competitors are doing, hopefully in a week or two. We are getting the regulatory permission to launch in the Bay Area, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, and a number of other places,” Musk said during Tesla’s July 23 second-quarter earnings call. “As we get the approvals and prove out safety, we will be launching the autono

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