Waymo's Expansion Exposes Uber's Robotaxi Risk and Opens the Door for Lyft

<p>This week on <a href="https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-markets/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Autonomy Markets</a>, <a href="https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/grayson-brulte/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Grayson Brulte</a> and Walter Piecyk discuss Zoox Las Vegas pricing, Waymo’s post-Uber divorce Phoenix expansion and <a href="https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/lyft-baidu-europe-uk-partnership/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">WeRide</a> saying the quiet part out loud, regulatory permits can create moats.</p><p><a href="https://indices.roadtoautonomy.com/robotaxi/zoox/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Zoox</a> launched paid rides in Las Vegas with a $12 base fare, $1.50 per mile, and 40 cents per minute, premium pricing paired with 15 to 30 minute wait times and select destinations. Walt calls it a Disney ride, not a premium product, and once <a href="https://indices.roadtoautonomy.com/robotaxi/waymo/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Waymo</a> and Tesla enter the market, that pricing gets hard to defend, especially if wait times continue to be high.</p><p>Staying in Vegas, Waymo announced a dedicated pickup and drop-off zone with Allegiant Stadium while Zoox has a deal with the Sphere, which might cost riders a $40 drop-off fee, opening a new battleground in Vegas where every casino and venue deal becomes a potential competitive advantage.</p><p>Weeks after Waymo and Uber divorced in Phoenix, Waymo added 55 square miles of service area, increasing the total to 350 square miles. On the WeRide earnings call, management said the quiet part our loud, regulatory permits are an asset.</p><p>Over in Europe, <a href="https://autnmy.ai/#omega" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">OMEGA</a> uncovered a Waymo incorporation in Zurich registered to Google’s largest engineering office outside the United States, one week after the president of Switzerland rode in a Waymo in Mountain View.</p><p>On the Foreign Autonomy Desk, Uber and <a href="https://indices.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomous-driving-licensing/wayve/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Wayve</a> are preparing a supervised Tokyo launch with Nissan LEAF vehicles, with the word supervised buried in the last paragraph of the press release.</p><p><br></p><p>Episode Chapters 00:00 Zoox Launches Paid Rides in Las Vegas07:19 Fleet Fragmentation and the Lyft Opportunity11:24 Waymo&#39;s Dedicated Zone at Allegiant Stadium19:16 Waymo Adds 55 Square Miles in Phoenix21:07 Waymo&#39;s Upcoming European Expansion 24:06 WeRide Earnings28:06 Mercedes, NVIDIA, and the Compute Question31:44 Uber Serve Robotics Divorce40:47 7,200 Waymo Vehicles44:03 Foreign Autonomy Desk 47:56 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/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠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, LightShed Partners provides in-depth analysis on trends, disruptions, and innovations shaping these industries, offering clients data-driven research to inform investment decisions. </p><p>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for research here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The LightShed Podcast, released every Friday, delivers cutting-edge insights into the world of technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT)