Episode 319 | Autonomy Markets: Tesla and Waymo are Scaling, While Zoox's Strategy Sparks Doubt

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Tesla and Alphabet’s Q2 2025 earnings calls, Tesla’s growing robotaxi ambitions and the launch of Zoox’s limited fixed-route service in Las Vegas.

Tesla’s Robotaxi expansion ambitions are growing, and on their Q2 2025 earnings call, Elon Musk disclosed that Tesla is looking to expand robotaxi service to Nevada, Florida, Arizona and the Bay Area as soon as this weekend. Two key factors behind Tesla’s ability to scale quickly are its expansive Supercharger network and its streamlined sensor suite, which is much simpler than those used by Waymo.

In Las Vegas, Zoox which requires a robust sensor-suite opened service to members of the public through what the company calls an “Explorers Program”. The operation is highly restricted running only between Resorts World and Luxor, with every ride requiring concierge assistance, giving it the feel of a Disneyland ride rather than an robotaxi service.

While robotaxis are scaling, the autonomous trucking industry continues to work through its business model. Multiple models are emerging, with some companies focused on licensing their technology and others building vertically integrated operations.This week, Walt joined the PACCAR earnings call to ask a question about their partnership with Aurora.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Tesla Q2 2025 Earnings / Robotaxi

4:26 FSD Take Rate

6:53 Safety

9:38 Robotaxi Expansion to Las Vegas?

11:15 Zoox Las Vegas Service

17:55 Who Launches Commercial Service First in Vegas? Zoox or Tesla?

18:46 Amazon’s Commitment to Zoox

21:24 Scaling Robotaxi

26:31 Robotaxi Bay Area Launch

28:21 VW’s Continued Autonomous Driving Struggles 

32:36 Alphabet’s Commitment to Waymo

34:14 Bot Auto Steves & Sons Partnership 

37:24 Autonomous Trucking

40:02 PACCAR Q2 2205 Earnings Call

45:19 Next Week

Recorded on Friday, July 25, 2025

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