Partly, I'd imagine, because Musk has made an effort to frame it as a "technology platform" rather than simply a vehicle.
His image as this innovative tech pioneer has historically given him leeway with legislators and transport officials.
You saw it similarly with the stupid Waymo self-driving cars in San Francisco; because it's painted as this emerging technology of the future it suddenly becomes ok to test it out on the public.
Billionaires are afforded this assumption that they are especially competent in general, so we get things like Musks "hyperloop" and Bill Gates' failed meddling in education reform that ended in abject failure. It's that effect of "Well, they're super rich so they must know what they're talking about."
Part of me wonders if the goofy, incomprehensible, hard-right pundit persona Musk has embodied over the past few years is just a character concocted to self trucks to Rednecks.
There was one behind me on the way to dropping my kid off this morning. I hate them. It was like that Kurt Russel grindhouse shit. Worse than having a semi on your bumper. Listening to reggae, cracking jokes and giggling, telling me about Pokemon and shit, having a great morning together.. then there's this electric murder truck haunting us.
I can't not think of the reports about them not crumpling and just slaughtering anyone in their wake- is that true or disinfo?