Sundar Pichai Identifies Tesla as Key Competitor to Waymo in Autonomous Driving

Alphabet Inc CEO Sundar Pichai has highlighted Tesla Inc as the leading competitor to its autonomous driving division, Waymo, during an interview conducted earlier this month.

Key Developments: Speaking at The New York Times DealBook summit on December 4, Pichai shared that Waymo is targeting to expand its operations to 10 cities across the United States within the next year. As of now, the company aims to operate in six or seven cities by year-end, emphasizing that safety and performance metrics will guide this expansion.

In discussing the competitive landscape, Pichai praised Tesla's significant advancements in the autonomous driving space. He stated, "I think obviously Tesla is a leader in the space. It looks to me like Tesla and Waymo are the top two."

Waymo's Current Operations: Currently, Waymo is offering autonomous ride services in cities such as Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Recently, the company announced plans to extend its services to Miami, Florida, with an aim for a 2026 launch.

Tesla’s Future Aspirations: During Tesla's third-quarter earnings call, Elon Musk discussed plans for the company to initiate a ride-hailing service in Texas and California next year, pending regulatory approval. This service will utilize self-driving Model 3 and Model Y vehicles equipped with future iterations of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology. Although the FSD currently requires active driver supervision, Musk expressed confidence that future software updates may enable fully autonomous driving.

Initially, the vehicles may not operate as entirely driverless robotaxis in California and Texas due to state regulations, which may require a driver to be present until specific operational milestones are achieved, as stated by the company.

Nevertheless, Musk is optimistic that Tesla will be able to launch driverless paid rides sometime next year.

In October, Tesla introduced two new concepts: a two-seater Cybercab and a 20-seater Robovan, both of which lack steering wheels and pedals. Musk indicated that production of the Cybercab is expected to commence before 2027.

Challenges for Rivals: Recently, General Motors announced that it would cease funding for Cruise, its autonomous taxi division. Instead, GM plans to merge this unit into its broader technical teams, citing the extensive time and resources required for robotaxi development in a rapidly evolving market. GM has decided to focus on improving its driver assistance technology known as Super Cruise, which still necessitates driver supervision.

Cruise was previously a competitor on par with Waymo in the U.S. robotaxi sector.

autonomous, driving, Tesla, Waymo, Alphabet