Cybercab Is Coming, Waymo Isn’t Impressed

<p>This week on <a href="https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-markets/">Autonomy Markets</a>, <a href="https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/grayson-brulte/">Grayson Brulte</a> and Walter Piecyk discuss Grayson’s field work across the Bay Area, Tesla’s September 3rd Cybercab launch and Nevada’s authorization of 8,000 autonomous vehicles in Clark County.</p><p>Fresh off a week of field work in California, Grayson shares firsthand impressions from his first rides in Waymo’s Zeekr-built Ojai, including a visit to Waymo’s Toland depot in San Francisco. While the Ojai rides lighter and less luxurious than the Jaguar I-PACE, its elevated sensor placement meaningfully reduces repair costs and insurance payouts in the event of a rear-end collision.</p><p>Grayson views the Ojai as a stopgap vehicle on the path to the Hyundai IONIQ 5, which he believes will be Waymo’s massive production ramp vehicle. After riding in the <a href="https://indices.roadtoautonomy.com/robotaxi/zoox/">Zoox</a>, the Ojai and the Jaguar back-to-back, and observing Waymo’s infrastructure buildout from San Francisco down to San Jose, Grayson makes a prediction. When <a href="https://indices.roadtoautonomy.com/robotaxi/waymo/">Waymo</a> adds roughly 1,000 to 1,200 additional vehicles in the Bay Area, the company will capture a significant portion of the rideshare market share.</p><p>Grayson also rode with <a href="https://indices.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomous-driving-licensing/wayve/">Wayve</a> with his <a href="https://autnmy.ai/">AUTNMY AI</a> co-founder <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertgrant2/">Rob Grant</a> in a fully dynamic, no-fixed-route supervised ride, noting the technology has accelerated meaningfully since his last <a href="https://youtu.be/ogD-5AZhns4">ride in London</a> as Wayve gears up for unsupervised operations.</p><p>Turning to <a href="https://indices.roadtoautonomy.com/robotaxi/tesla/">Tesla</a>, the Cybercab is scheduled to commercially launch in Austin on September 3rd, with Grayson expecting a measured rollout of sub-30 Cybercabs in week one, driven by an internal safety metric and infrastructure that is still being built out.</p><p>Meanwhile, Nevada’s Transportation Authority unanimously authorized 8,000 autonomous vehicles in Clark County over 12 months. But the growth comes with a catch, as autonomy drop-off fees and exclusive resort partnerships threaten to bring Vegas-style nickel and diming to robotaxis in Sin City.</p><p>On the foreign autonomy desk, China’s Autonomous Belt and Road Initiative continues to take hold in Europe.</p><p><br></p><p>Episode Chapters0:00 Grayson&#39;s Latest Bay Area Field Report19:30 How Many Cars Will Actually Be on the Road when Cybercab Launches?24:25 Tesla&#39;s Self-Certification Strategy for Cybercab25:31 Tesla Semi30:40 Waymo&#39;s 10 AI Lessons36:36 The Robotaxi Infrastructure, Energy and Manufacturing Layers37:38 Nevada Authorizes 8,000 Autonomous Vehicles in Clark County39:55 Uber&#39;s Robotaxi Playbook Raises Doubts 42:08 Waymo Expands to Munich, Germany 45:06 NVIDIA Earnings. Where is Automotive?49:53 Autonomous Food Delivery52:33 Who is Cheaper? Uber or Lyft?56:39 SFO Robotaxi Access58:10 Foreign Autonomy Desk59:53 Next Week</p><p><br></p><p>The Road to Autonomy is the leading applied intelligence platform covering the convergence of automation, autonomy, and the Autonomy Economy™ powered AUTNMY AI. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary applied intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth.</p><p>Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: <a href="https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><br></p><p>LightShed Partners is a leading independent research firm focused on the convergence of technology, media, and telecommunications. Known for its forward-thinking insights, Li