Waymo and Zoox expand robotaxi services and build plants for thousands of vehicles
Updated
Updated · Car and Driver · Apr 26
Waymo and Zoox expand robotaxi services and build plants for thousands of vehicles
12 articles · Updated · Car and Driver · Apr 26
Waymo runs more than 800 autonomous vehicles across 260 square miles in the Bay Area, while both companies' Arizona and California plants could each produce at least 10,000 units.
Waymo already charges for rides in several US cities, but Zoox, despite a US waiver for steering-wheel-free demonstration vehicles, still lacks approval to operate commercially without manual controls.
The expansion underscores a shift toward large-scale commercialisation as rivals including Tesla push robotaxis, while safety, regulation and profitability remain unresolved despite investor optimism and growing autonomous-mileage data.
As robotaxis lose billions annually, is the path to profit through superior tech or Tesla’s cheaper, camera-only approach?
AVs promise to prevent 12,000 deaths a year, but will they also eliminate millions of jobs and worsen city traffic?
With a 2.3 million talent gap, can the AV industry innovate fast enough to justify its massive valuations and maintain a global lead?