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Robotaxi Market Landscape
Comparison of major autonomous vehicle operators
Primary Sources
Robotaxi Services Put the 'Auto' in Autonomous - Car and Driver
The Lanza crime family once ran the streets of San Francisco. Nowadays, Waymo does. The Alphabet Inc. subsidiary operates a fleet of more than 800 autonomous vehicles (AVs) within a 260-square-mile section of the Bay Area. Like ocean breezes, rolling fog, and pricey real estate, Waymo AV robotaxis are omnipresent in San Francisco. Fit with bulky, protruding sensors that vaguely resemble orthodontic headgear, the AVs constantly roam the roads in and around the city, providing rides booked through the Waymo app. The company also deploys hundreds of AVs in other parts of the country, including the Phoenix area, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, and Austin. The combined service area of those five locales is about 700 square miles and growing.AV PlayersWaymo is the undisputed leader in the commercial autonomous-passenger-vehicle space in the U.S., but its place at the head of the table is not going unchallenged. Amazon-backed Zoox also has AVs that offer rides without the option of a remote human operator taking over control of the vehicle if necessary. Zoox's AVs currently serve fewer markets than Waymo, covering a few square miles in northeast San Francisco and a portion of Las Vegas. Tesla's Robotaxi service, meanwhile, forgoes human operators in parts of Texas [see Robotics Club below].What was once a mere concept of technological potential is now on the path to large-scale commercialization. Waymo and Zoox are no longer dipping their toes in the AV pool; they're wading into the deep end. In partnership with Magna, Waymo has a factory in Mesa, Arizona, where it installs its sensor package on vehicles from Jaguar and the Chinese brand Zeekr. Zoox, meanwhile, has a manufacturing plant in Hayward, California. Both sites have the potential to produce at least 10,000 units of their respective products.Lose ControlsOf the two, only Zoox has a waiver from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to operate vehicles sans a steering wheel or accelerator and brake pedals on public roads. As of this writing, the exemption applies only to demonstration vehicles, though, so until Zoox secures authorization for commercial use, it cannot charge customers. Waymo, which retains operating controls in its fleet of commercial AVs, can and does charge for rides. While these fares put money in the company's coffers, Waymo's revenue is a pittance relative to the billions it cost to get the business to its current place. Even so, investors see huge growth in the AV se...
Waymo's Detroit robotaxi rollout faces oversight, safety questions ...
As Waymo prepares to deploy robotaxis in Detroit, the company has been meeting with city and state officials about how the service will operate locally once it hits the road. Why it matters: Michigan's permissive framework for autonomous vehicles means no single governmental entity is fully in charge of how they integrate into city streets.
Waymo Eyes Portland for Robotaxi Expansion, With Testing Already ...
Waymo Eyes Portland for Robotaxi Expansion, With Testing Already Underway You may soon see the self-driving robotaxis in Oregon's City of Roses.
Waymo vs Human Drivers: Accident Statistics You Need to Know
Compare Waymo vs human driver crash rates, understand data limits for robotaxi crashes, and learn Texas liability basics if you're in a self-driving car crash.
