The Road to Autonomy Episode 362 | Autonomy Markets: Your Ride Just Got Fewer Sensors. Problem?
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Jan 17, 2026 The discussion kicks off with New York's attempt to legalize autonomous vehicles while carving out NYC, highlighting Mayor Mondami's focus on taxi drivers. In Texas, Waymo expands its coverage in Austin and Uber tweaks its promotional language regarding robotaxis. The hosts explore Waymo's plans for Sydney and the WeRide integration with WeChat in China. A debate emerges over Waymo's shift to vehicles with fewer sensors, and Tesla's move to subscription-only FSD prompts thoughts on revenue. Global developments and future implications of autonomy capture the conversation.
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Statewide AV Push, City Exclusion
- New York will likely legalize AVs statewide while explicitly excluding New York City from deployments for political reasons.
- Walter Piecyk argues the bigger technical barrier in NYC is servicing infrastructure and energy, not just politics.
Design For Local Servicing, Not Megacenters
- Plan AV deployments around realistic servicing and energy constraints rather than assuming mega-garages are required.
- Explore smaller, distributed maintenance and charging solutions to avoid reliance on massive depots.
Austin As Competitive AV Battleground
- Austin remains a key unconstrained market for AV testing with no city carve-outs in Texas law.
- Waymo expanded coverage and Uber softened exclusive language, signaling competitive jockeying with Tesla.