When I came across the post (see below), the first question that came to mind is “Why bother to wait for the big reveal from $Tesla Motors(TSLA)$ robotaxis on 08 Aug 2024?, when the future of robotaxis is already here and a thriving business ?
What makes Tesla’s robotaxi is a cut above existing robotaxi services ?
Is it tried & tested? No.
Is it a viable business model? Absolutely not!
Is it recognized and licensesd? No.
So why bother?
The Post I came across.
If you have been seeing more Waymo robotaxis recently in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles, that is because more and more people are hailing one for a ride.
The $Alphabet(GOOG)$ owned company has announced on Twitter/X that it's now serving more than 50,000 paid trips weekly across three cities.
Waymo One operates 24/7 in parts of those cities.
If the company is getting 50,000 rides a week, that means it receives an average of 300 bookings every hour or five bookings every minute. Is this good news or is this good news for Alphabet / Google?
Waymo has revealed also, that it had over one million rider-only trips across four cities, including Austin, where it's currently offering limited rides to select members of the public.
In its announcement, Waymo credited its "safe and deliberate approach" to scaling its program for reaching the milestone.
"We see people from all walks of life use our service to travel carefree, gain independence, reclaim their commute and more.
Fully autonomous ride-hailing is a reality and a preferred mobility option for people navigating their cities every day," it added.
Waymo definitely seems to be doing better than Cruise ( $General Motors(GM)$’s autonomous driving app).
However, its only recently that Waymo had re-deployed some of its autonomous vehicles following a much-needed hiatus and it share of controversies.
(1) A kaputt robotaxi.
On 17 April 2024, six Waymo robotaxis blocked traffic in a San Francisco freeway, and it was just one of the instances wherein the company's vehicles caused traffic blockage. (see above)
(2) A double-crash incident.
Just a month earlier on 05 Mar 2024, two Waymo vehicles crashed into the same pickup truck one after the other, because their software had incorrectly predicted the future movements of the truck. (see above)
The company issued a software recall after the incident to fix the issue and prevent similar incidents from happening.
My viewpoints: (mine & mine only)
Like in IT application / system development, the most “comprehensive” set of test cases could be prepared to crash test the application / system.
However, nothing will prepare the apps (to be robust) like the real (production) environment, where timings or intricate events sequencing can thwart even the best-developed & tested app.
In that aspect, everyday when Waymo robotaxis are on plying the roads servicing the customers, everyday the app is getting more “robust” and “experienced”. Can Tesla robotaxi match that? No.
By the time August 2024 arrives, that’s another almost 3 months of live testings, further solidifying Waymo’s as the cult robotaxis — that Wall Street should acknowledge and recognize.
Most important ! Regardless Waymo has or has not break even on its Robotaxi (I don’t know) — it is earning (already) and contributing to sales revenue.
This is already one up against Tesla, that has not even birth - no? Ha, ha.
Are you all so enamoured and taken by a fictitious mobile app of a hail riding app?
When the product the app is supposed to support is nowhere closed to fruition ? Geez !
Yes, yes I have heard the mantra too “Buy the rumours and sell the news”.
Guessed it boils down to this — the shallowness of it all when it comes to Tesla.
Are you willing to risk your precious life and ride a “raw & untested” Tesla robotaxi and help line the CEO/ owner deep pocket in the process?
He won’t say thanks (to you) should you lose your life in a Tesla crash but pile the blames unto you instead.
After all that Tesla CEO has tried to convince the World (& failed, in my book), Tesla is nothing more than an electric car maker (with old & aged designs) - that’s all. Ha, ha, ha.
Upon distillation of Robotaxis - Waymo / Alphabet (Google) is the Real Deal !
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Do you think and agree that Waymo robotaxis are way more advance that the touted Tesla robotaxis?
Do you think and agree that Alphabet / Google is still at the forefront of technology and deserves a Buy ?
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Comments
So much potential, but I feel as though Google aren't monetising the AI hype as effectively as Microsoft
Well I kinda look forward to TSLA’s robotaxi tbh
TSLA stock is terrible
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