Tesla boss Elon Musk continues to push the vision of fully autonomous robotaxis. At the same time, however, competition with Waymo is also intensifying.
• Musk wants to further expand robotaxi service
• Regulatory approvals in view
• Musk: Waymo’s sensor strategy is “technically problematic”
Musk: Big changes ahead for robotaxis
Tesla is probably pushing ahead with its plans for fully autonomous vehicles. CEO Elon Musk announced during its quarterly earnings presentation that the company’s robotaxi service will be without safety drivers in the coming months – a crucial step toward fully driverless vehicles that was part of Musk’s vision from the start, according to Spectrum News 1.
The service, which launched in Austin, Texas, in June, started with about 20 vehicles and now includes a fleet of about 30 robotaxis covering an area of 173 square miles, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
However, the launch did not go smoothly, as TCD reports: after several videos of vehicle malfunctions, security authorities initiated an investigation.
Tesla now plans to expand the service to eight to ten additional metropolitan areas by the end of 2025: “We expect to be offering robotaxis in around eight to ten metropolitan areas by the end of the year. That depends on various regulatory approvals,” said Musk, according to Spectrum News 1. “We plan to be active in Nevada, Florida and Arizona by the end of the year.”. However, the company will proceed extremely carefully: “Even a single accident would make headlines around the world,” said Musk.
With the move, Tesla is entering direct competition with Waymo, Alphabet’s autonomous driving service, which is already active in five US markets and is testing in ten other regions.
Competition with Waymo in view
In addition, Musk recently criticized Waymo again and described their sensor strategy as technically problematic, according to Business Insider.
Waymo’s fifth driving platform uses five lidar sensors, six radar systems and 29 cameras. According to Musk, this mixture leads to “sensor conflicts” because the data from the laser and radar sensors does not match the camera recordings. “This sensor ambiguity increases risk – it does not reduce it. This is why Waymo cannot drive on highways.”
Waymo recently began offering paid rides on major highways in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix. Musk remains an outspoken opponent of lidar technology, which he described in 2019 as an “expensive crutch” that stands in the way of mass scaling of robotaxis.
In fact, Waymo researchers themselves admitted in a 2022 paper that there are ambiguities in sensor fusion between camera and radar data. They examined methods to reduce these deviations through improved data synchronization.
Despite his criticism, Musk also recently paid tribute to his rival: During the Tesla shareholders meeting on November 6th, he praised Waymo for paving the way for faster regulatory approvals for robotaxis. Musk responded briefly but respectfully to a post by Google’s chief scientist Jeff Dean about Waymo’s progress: “Congratulations.”
Editorial team finanzen.net
This text is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an investment recommendation. finanzen.net GmbH excludes any claims for recourse.
By the way: Alphabet C (ex Google) and other US stocks can even be traded on finanzen.net ZERO until 11 p.m. (without order fees, plus spreads). Open a depot now for free and secure a new customer bonus!
Selected leverage products on Alphabet C (ex Google)
With knock-outs, speculative investors can participate disproportionately in price movements. Simply select the lever you want and we will show you suitable open-end products on Alphabet C (ex Google)
The leverage must be between 2 and 20
Advertising