Waymo Robotaxis May Become Available for Personal Ownership
Waymo Robotaxis May Become Available for Personal Ownership: Alphabet’s self-driving car division, Waymo, could eventually allow individuals to personally own its autonomous vehicles, according to CEO Sundar Pichai. The announcement, made during a post-earnings conference call on Thursday, hints at a broader future for self-driving technology just as Tesla gears up to launch its own robotaxi service this year.
Waymo began as a modest Google self-driving project in 2009 and officially spun off as its own unit in 2016. Since then, it has carved out a steady though cautious path in the fiercely competitive autonomous vehicle market. While many startups and projects have stumbled due to overwhelming costs, regulatory red tape, and technical setbacks, Waymo has persisted.
Today, Waymo operates over 700 vehicles, with nearly 300 of them active in San Francisco alone. It currently holds the distinction of being the only U.S. company offering fully autonomous, fare-charging robotaxi rides without human drivers behind the wheel.
Despite this milestone, Pichai remained vague about when Waymo might allow individuals to purchase its vehicles. He merely mentioned the “future optionality for personal ownership,” without elaborating on potential timelines or logistics.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s Elon Musk has been critical of Waymo’s technology, particularly its cost. Tesla’s approach is fundamentally different. While Waymo relies on a costly array of cameras and lidar sensors to build 3D maps of its environment, Tesla opts to use only cameras and artificial intelligence a system Musk claims is more scalable and affordable.
“Teslas probably cost a quarter, maybe 20% of what a Waymo costs and are made in very high volume,” Musk said during Tesla’s earnings call earlier in the week. “I don’t see anyone being able to compete with Tesla at present.”
Musk has long pushed the idea that Tesla owners could profit by enrolling their cars into a robotaxi fleet via a ride-hailing app. Tesla is aiming to launch its own robotaxi service in various U.S. states this year, starting with Austin, Texas, where regulatory hurdles are low. The company also has plans for launches in California and beyond, though experts question whether Tesla’s technology is ready to tackle unpredictable real-world conditions like bad weather and complex traffic scenarios.
Other companies have found the road to autonomy even tougher. Cruise, a self-driving division under General Motors, shut down last year after an accident triggered a federal investigation and a financial penalty. This incident reinforced the challenges facing the robotaxi industry.
Tesla has faced its share of scrutiny too. The company has blamed drivers for mishaps involving its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems, despite marketing these features aggressively. In contrast, Tesla’s robotaxi rollout would likely shift liability directly onto the company in the event of a crash.
Back at Waymo, the strategy appears to focus on slow, methodical growth and building strategic partnerships. The company has teamed up with Uber, global fleet operator Moove, and automakers like Jaguar, Zeekr, and Hyundai. Rather than manufacturing vehicles themselves, Waymo is likely to rely on these partners if personal ownership becomes a reality.
According to Edward Jones analyst David Heger, “Google doesn’t build its own automobiles and I certainly don’t think they would try to get into that business.” That makes a partnership-driven path the most likely scenario for any consumer-facing expansion.
Even though Waymo represents just a small part of Alphabet’s overall valuation, its presence is growing. The company claims it is currently completing more than 250,000 fully autonomous paid rides each week. It operates in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin, and is planning expansions into cities like Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, D.C.
Pichai’s comments came after an analyst inquired about Waymo’s future. Light-heartedly, he noted, “This is probably the first question I’ve got on an earnings call on Waymo,” adding that the interest is a sign of the company’s ongoing progress.
As the race toward robotaxi dominance accelerates, the battle between tech giants Tesla and Alphabet is heating up. While Tesla focuses on affordability and rapid deployment, Waymo is taking the safer, more measured route. Whether either strategy will pay off in the long run remains to be seen but one thing is certain: autonomous vehicles are inching closer to becoming a part of everyday life.