Episode 276 | Autonomy Markets: Waymo Needs Fewer Robotaxis Than You Think and Tesla's California Dreams

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss why Waymo needs fewer robotaxis than you think and Tesla’s emerging plans for a robotaxi network in California.

Waymo continues to scale, surpassing 200,000 paid weekly rides across Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix. As the service grows, a group of power riders has emerged, including one rider in San Francisco spending over $900 a month on Waymo rides.

In California, Waymo now operates a fleet over 730 autonomous vehicles, while Tesla currently operates zero. That is about to change as Tesla has applied for a transportation charter-party carrier permit from the California Public Utilities Commission, the same permit Waymo currently operates under. 

If Tesla secures the permit, it will be able to launch a robotaxi service in California, but with two major caveats—fleets and safety drivers. At launch, Tesla owners won’t be able to add their vehicles to the network.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Waymo’s Growing Weekly Paid Rides

3:23 Waymo’s Fleet Efficiency 

9:10 Waymo Power Users

12:01 Waymo’s Consistent Rider Experience 

15:17 Tesla Launches Full Self-Driving (FSD) in China

16:30 Tesla’s Pending California Robotaxi Network 

19:58 Tesla / Waymo Competition 

22:24 Tesla Will Not License FSD

26:00 Autonomous Vehicle Policy

28:55 Wall Street’s View on Autonomy

32:04 Unforced Error of The Week

36:30 Next Week

Recorded on Thursday, February 27, 2025

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