Waymo, the leader in the autonomous vehicle industry, has been making waves with its impressive growth. According to a recent LinkedIn announcement by co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana, Waymo is now providing over 100,000 paid robotaxi rides per week in the U.S. This marks a significant increase from the 50,000 weekly paid trips reported just a few months ago. The company’s commercial service is currently operational in cities such as San Francisco, Phoenix, Austin, and Los Angeles.
Alphabet, the parent company of Waymo, recently announced a $5 billion investment in the autonomous vehicle venture. This investment comes as Waymo unveiled its new “generation 6” self-driving system. This cutting-edge technology is designed to allow Waymo to offer driverless services in a wider range of weather conditions, while reducing the need for costly cameras and sensors in its vehicles. With a fleet of around 700 vehicles, Waymo operates the only commercial robotaxi service in the U.S. known as Waymo One.
Waymo has been expanding its services rapidly, adding 90 square miles to its Phoenix service area in June. This makes it the largest autonomous ride-hailing “territory” in the United States. The company has also expanded its San Francisco robotaxi service into three new areas, namely Daly City, Broadmoor, and Colma. Moreover, Waymo is currently testing its driverless vehicles on freeways around the San Francisco metro area. Despite claims of safety superiority, CNBC could not independently verify Waymo’s assertions regarding safety.
While Waymo dominates the U.S. market for commercial robotaxi services, it faces limited competition domestically. Companies like Didi and Pony.ai have successfully launched robotaxi services in China, but Waymo’s main competitor, GM-owned Cruise, faced temporary setbacks that took its driverless vehicles off the road. Other major players in the autonomous vehicle space, such as Uber and Ford, have discontinued their efforts in developing robotaxi services. Tesla, led by Elon Musk, has been promising to transform existing vehicles into driverless cars with a software update, but has yet to deliver on this promise. Tesla is set to unveil its CyberCab, a dedicated robotaxi, at an event on October 10th.
Waymo’s rapid expansion, technological innovation, and dominance in the U.S. robotaxi market solidify its position as a leader in the autonomous vehicle industry. With a strong focus on safety and efficiency, Waymo continues to push the boundaries of self-driving technology.