Tech titans gird for robotaxi wars with new factory and territories
While three key players compete for domination, the race to put without driver’s taxis on the roads across the country heats up.
Waymo, belonging to the mother company of Google Alphabet, already offers paid autonomous rides in a handful of cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles. Amazon’s Robotaxi effort, known as Zoox, has opened a new production installation in the bay region this week. The company tested its unique pill -shaped vehicles in California and Nevada since 2023.
Meanwhile, in Austin, Texas, Elon Musk has just started testing Driverless teslas In the hope of launching a sales department soon. Musk unveiled a prototype for Tesla’s cybercab at the end of last year, praising his vision of an autonomous future and “an age of abundance”.
The arrival of autonomous technologies could possibly affect the company as much as on the Internet and smartphones years ago, according to some experts. With Waymo opening the way and Tesla and Zoox trying to quickly catch up, a new status quo could be on the horizon, said Karl Brauer, analyst at Iseecars.com.
“Tesla tried to catch up, and Zoox is a more recent competitor who hopes to be a serious player,” he said. “Waymo was slow and stable and, therefore, wins the race.”
According to some initiates in the industry, the United States is about 15 years old by seeing generalized use of robotaxis, said Brauer. While Taxis Waymo has become a current show in the cities where they operate, weather conditions and load infrastructure always limit their expansion.
Wednesday, Waymo expanded his service area In the County of Los Angeles, where its vehicles are now traveling an area of more than 120 square miles. The company also increased its service area in San Francisco, expanding access to the suburbs and Silicon Valley.
Days after Waymo’s announcement, Zoox opened an installation of 220,000 square feet in Hayward, California, which, according to the company, can produce 10,000 Robotaxis per year. Zoox is preparing to launch its public carpooling service in Las Vegas and San Francisco this year.
Unlike Waymo vehicles, which are modernized, Zoox develops a taxi specially designed without steering wheel or gas pedals.
Zoox also has a manufacturing plant in Fremont, California, where the company develops its Toyota Highlanders test fleets. Tesla also has a manufacturing installation in Fremont.
Musk has promised for years to deliver autonomous vehicles and a robust carpooling service. Austin legislators asked this week delay the deployment of its service in the city.
Tesla, Zoox and Waymo are the three large American companies remaining in what was once a more crowded field, said Brauer. Cruise on the autonomous taxi companies of General Motors Suspended operations In 2023 after one of its vehicles hit and dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco. Last year, Uber and Cruise announced a partnership This could put cruise vehicles on the road.
A company called Argo AI, supported by Ford and Volkswagen, also developed driver -free technology until it stopped in 2022.
The continuous expansion of robotaxis depends on safe and successful tests, said Brauer. There was Several incidents Linked to Tesla’s full autonomous mode, a technology currently available but still in development. Waymo has issued reminders of some of its vehicles several times.
“If there is a tragic result for one of these three companies during the test and development process, this would probably slow the whole industry,” said Brauer.
