Elon Musk Podcast Waymo now offers driverless freeway rides in SF, LA, and Phoenix
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Nov 14, 2025 Waymo's newly launched fully driverless rides are now operational on freeways in major cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. This service promises faster trips without a safety driver, ideal for airport runs and commuting. The podcast dives into the competitive landscape, comparing Waymo with players like Uber and Tesla. It explores the technical challenges of ensuring safety and reliability on highways. Regulatory aspects and rider expectations also take center stage, highlighting the impact on pricing and service quality.
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Freeway Access Unlocks Real Transport Value
- Waymo enabled fully driverless freeway rides in SF, LA, and Phoenix, unlocking faster airport and cross-metro trips.
- Freeway access changes robotaxi value by allowing direct high-speed routing previously restricted to surface streets.
Technical Maturity Enables Highway Driving
- Waymo progressed from dense downtowns to suburban arterials and now sustained freeway speeds as perception and planning matured.
- Hardware like LiDAR, radar, and redundant compute matters more at highway speeds and long-range perception.
Coordinate Protocols With Highway Authorities
- Coordinate response protocols with highway patrol for freeway defects to avoid secondary incidents.
- Plan different timing and communication for ramps and interchanges compared with city curb pulls.