You have to pay vehicle registration fees every year. I don't see how this is all that different from that. I can't imagine that $150 - even if it was per car,

You have to pay vehicle registration fees every year. I don't see how this is all that different from that. I can't imagine that $150 - even if it was per car, which it's not - even covers the overhead of ensuring that the company trying to test vehicles on public roads meets their minimum criteria. The requirements are pretty straightforward - following NHTSA guidance, insurance to cover injury/death, having a program in place to train drivers... this is the bare minimum responsible amount I would want these companies to be asked to do.