Don't Worry About the Vase Podcast Advancements In Self-Driving Cars
Jan 7, 2026
Timothy Lee, a renowned technology journalist focused on autonomous vehicles, joins to discuss the rapid advancements in self-driving cars. He shares insights on Waymo’s extensive rollout across the Bay Area and its challenges with fleet size and regulatory hurdles. Excited commentary from Jeff Dean highlights the competitive landscape with international players like Baidu. The conversation also touches on public safety, delivery services, and how self-driving technology could significantly enhance mobility for the elderly. Autonomy, it seems, is accelerating faster than we realize!
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Freeways And Fleet Scale Are The Unlock
- Waymo's freeway and peninsula expansions unlock much longer rides but depend on fleet scale and regulatory changes.
- Matching real-world speeds and getting enough vehicles are key to making driverless services practical.
Regulate Speeds To Match Real Traffic
- Change regulations to let autonomous vehicles travel at the average observed speed rather than strict technical limits.
- This reduces danger from obeying unrealistic posted limits and enables safer integration with traffic.
Vehicle Supply Is The Real Constraint
- Vehicle supply is Waymo's bottleneck: retrofit I-Paces and imported options are limited or costly.
- Rapid production of Hyundai vehicles is the realistic path to scaling but likely not before 2027.