While Tesla’s robotaxi service has been hyped relentlessly, recent analysis suggests that it is still trailing behind Waymo, which is seen as the leader in the race toward autonomous ride-hailing services.
According to an expert from BMO Capital’s Autonomous Vehicle (AV) team, Waymo is ‘miles ahead’ in terms of development, leaving Tesla, among others, significantly behind. The expert, who previously worked at Waymo and now advises governments on advancing the AV industry, emphasized that the commercialization of autonomous vehicles is still in its early stages. However, Waymo’s head start in this field is undeniable.
Waymo currently operates an autonomous ride-hailing service in five U.S. cities, using a fleet of around 1,500 Jaguar I-Pace vehicles equipped with costly sensors such as LiDAR, 360-degree cameras, and radar. This sophisticated sensor setup allows Waymo’s vehicles to deliver a level of safety and reliability that Tesla’s robotaxi service is still far from achieving. In comparison, Tesla’s robotaxis rely solely on cameras and an interconnected neural network, without the additional support of LiDAR or radar. While Tesla claims that its camera system can detect individual photons, some experts remain skeptical about its capabilities.
Safety concerns have also arisen for Tesla’s robotaxi service. In just four days of operation in Austin, Tesla’s robotaxis have already logged one ‘safety concern’ incident, whereas Waymo has recorded significantly fewer incidents over a much longer period. This stark difference highlights the challenges Tesla faces in scaling its robotaxi service effectively. For now, the service remains in its testing phase, and the company is still working on addressing issues such as lane discipline and speed limit violations, as reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Despite these challenges, some analysts, like those at Benchmark, remain optimistic about Tesla’s approach. They believe that Tesla’s camera-based system could be more cost-effective and scalable than Waymo’s sensor-heavy solution, especially as the technology continues to evolve. However, the road to success remains long, and for now, Waymo’s comprehensive and tested system holds a distinct advantage over Tesla.