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The Advertiser
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Advertiser
Volkswagen ID. Buzz AD robotaxi ready for sale from 2026
The production version of the self-driving Volkswagen ID. Buzz AD taxi has been unveiled, and the German automaker is hoping to make it available for use in various markets across Europe and US from 2026. Developed by the Volkswagen Group's MOIA ride-sharing division, the ID. Buzz AD is an SAE Level 4 self-driving vehicle, meaning it drives itself by default, but there are controls for a human to use if the need arises. Its autonomous driving technology is from Mobileye, which uses an array of 27 sensors – 13 cameras, nine LIDAR units, and five radars – to generate a 360-degree view. This is married to MOIA's own Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform that manages the robotaxi fleet, deals with passenger assistance and safety issues, and integrates into existing booking apps. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Volkswagen is looking to sell MOIA's service platform and fleets of the ID. Buzz AD to municipalities, public transport agencies, and private operators looking to get into the ride-sharing and robotaxi scene. This approach contrasts quite starkly with Google's Waymo division, which is developing its own self-driving technology, and running its own robotaxi services in a growing number of cities in the US. Volkswagen and MOIA have been developing the ID. Buzz AD since 2021, and the company originally targeted a launch in 2025. The company has been testing its robotaxi services in two German cities, with the public able to book rides in Hanover and Hamburg. In a prepared statement, Oliver Blume, CEO of the Volkswagen Group, said: "With our fully autonomous complete solution, we are creating a mobility offering that is unique in this form: cities, municipalities, and fleet operators can provide autonomous mobility for all simply and reliably." Aside from the proliferation of cameras and sensors, the body work of the ID. Buzz is untouched. The production vehicle's sensor pods, especially the roof-mounted unit, are much more slickly integrated into the body compared to the prototype models. Unlike the regular ID. Buzz electric people mover, which is available in either a two-row five-seat or three-row seven-seat configurations, the AD has a unique interior layout with two narrow seats in the second row, and a large passageway leading to two larger seats in the third row. Each row of seats has SOS emergency stop and support call buttons, a USB-C charging port, and start/stop button. Vinyl seat trim and a hard floor should make the ID. Buzz robotaxi easy to clean. There's also a driver's seat up front. If self-driving without human oversight is allowed by local regulations, the driver's seat can be pushed and tilted forward, and the steering wheel covered. Regardless, the space normally occupied by the front passenger's seat is replaced by a bounded cargo tray suitable for various types of luggage. MORE: Everything Volkswagen ID. Buzz Content originally sourced from: The production version of the self-driving Volkswagen ID. Buzz AD taxi has been unveiled, and the German automaker is hoping to make it available for use in various markets across Europe and US from 2026. Developed by the Volkswagen Group's MOIA ride-sharing division, the ID. Buzz AD is an SAE Level 4 self-driving vehicle, meaning it drives itself by default, but there are controls for a human to use if the need arises. Its autonomous driving technology is from Mobileye, which uses an array of 27 sensors – 13 cameras, nine LIDAR units, and five radars – to generate a 360-degree view. This is married to MOIA's own Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform that manages the robotaxi fleet, deals with passenger assistance and safety issues, and integrates into existing booking apps. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Volkswagen is looking to sell MOIA's service platform and fleets of the ID. Buzz AD to municipalities, public transport agencies, and private operators looking to get into the ride-sharing and robotaxi scene. This approach contrasts quite starkly with Google's Waymo division, which is developing its own self-driving technology, and running its own robotaxi services in a growing number of cities in the US. Volkswagen and MOIA have been developing the ID. Buzz AD since 2021, and the company originally targeted a launch in 2025. The company has been testing its robotaxi services in two German cities, with the public able to book rides in Hanover and Hamburg. In a prepared statement, Oliver Blume, CEO of the Volkswagen Group, said: "With our fully autonomous complete solution, we are creating a mobility offering that is unique in this form: cities, municipalities, and fleet operators can provide autonomous mobility for all simply and reliably." Aside from the proliferation of cameras and sensors, the body work of the ID. Buzz is untouched. The production vehicle's sensor pods, especially the roof-mounted unit, are much more slickly integrated into the body compared to the prototype models. Unlike the regular ID. Buzz electric people mover, which is available in either a two-row five-seat or three-row seven-seat configurations, the AD has a unique interior layout with two narrow seats in the second row, and a large passageway leading to two larger seats in the third row. Each row of seats has SOS emergency stop and support call buttons, a USB-C charging port, and start/stop button. Vinyl seat trim and a hard floor should make the ID. Buzz robotaxi easy to clean. There's also a driver's seat up front. If self-driving without human oversight is allowed by local regulations, the driver's seat can be pushed and tilted forward, and the steering wheel covered. Regardless, the space normally occupied by the front passenger's seat is replaced by a bounded cargo tray suitable for various types of luggage. MORE: Everything Volkswagen ID. Buzz Content originally sourced from: The production version of the self-driving Volkswagen ID. Buzz AD taxi has been unveiled, and the German automaker is hoping to make it available for use in various markets across Europe and US from 2026. Developed by the Volkswagen Group's MOIA ride-sharing division, the ID. Buzz AD is an SAE Level 4 self-driving vehicle, meaning it drives itself by default, but there are controls for a human to use if the need arises. Its autonomous driving technology is from Mobileye, which uses an array of 27 sensors – 13 cameras, nine LIDAR units, and five radars – to generate a 360-degree view. This is married to MOIA's own Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform that manages the robotaxi fleet, deals with passenger assistance and safety issues, and integrates into existing booking apps. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Volkswagen is looking to sell MOIA's service platform and fleets of the ID. Buzz AD to municipalities, public transport agencies, and private operators looking to get into the ride-sharing and robotaxi scene. This approach contrasts quite starkly with Google's Waymo division, which is developing its own self-driving technology, and running its own robotaxi services in a growing number of cities in the US. Volkswagen and MOIA have been developing the ID. Buzz AD since 2021, and the company originally targeted a launch in 2025. The company has been testing its robotaxi services in two German cities, with the public able to book rides in Hanover and Hamburg. In a prepared statement, Oliver Blume, CEO of the Volkswagen Group, said: "With our fully autonomous complete solution, we are creating a mobility offering that is unique in this form: cities, municipalities, and fleet operators can provide autonomous mobility for all simply and reliably." Aside from the proliferation of cameras and sensors, the body work of the ID. Buzz is untouched. The production vehicle's sensor pods, especially the roof-mounted unit, are much more slickly integrated into the body compared to the prototype models. Unlike the regular ID. Buzz electric people mover, which is available in either a two-row five-seat or three-row seven-seat configurations, the AD has a unique interior layout with two narrow seats in the second row, and a large passageway leading to two larger seats in the third row. Each row of seats has SOS emergency stop and support call buttons, a USB-C charging port, and start/stop button. Vinyl seat trim and a hard floor should make the ID. Buzz robotaxi easy to clean. There's also a driver's seat up front. If self-driving without human oversight is allowed by local regulations, the driver's seat can be pushed and tilted forward, and the steering wheel covered. Regardless, the space normally occupied by the front passenger's seat is replaced by a bounded cargo tray suitable for various types of luggage. MORE: Everything Volkswagen ID. Buzz Content originally sourced from: The production version of the self-driving Volkswagen ID. Buzz AD taxi has been unveiled, and the German automaker is hoping to make it available for use in various markets across Europe and US from 2026. Developed by the Volkswagen Group's MOIA ride-sharing division, the ID. Buzz AD is an SAE Level 4 self-driving vehicle, meaning it drives itself by default, but there are controls for a human to use if the need arises. Its autonomous driving technology is from Mobileye, which uses an array of 27 sensors – 13 cameras, nine LIDAR units, and five radars – to generate a 360-degree view. This is married to MOIA's own Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform that manages the robotaxi fleet, deals with passenger assistance and safety issues, and integrates into existing booking apps. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Volkswagen is looking to sell MOIA's service platform and fleets of the ID. Buzz AD to municipalities, public transport agencies, and private operators looking to get into the ride-sharing and robotaxi scene. This approach contrasts quite starkly with Google's Waymo division, which is developing its own self-driving technology, and running its own robotaxi services in a growing number of cities in the US. Volkswagen and MOIA have been developing the ID. Buzz AD since 2021, and the company originally targeted a launch in 2025. The company has been testing its robotaxi services in two German cities, with the public able to book rides in Hanover and Hamburg. In a prepared statement, Oliver Blume, CEO of the Volkswagen Group, said: "With our fully autonomous complete solution, we are creating a mobility offering that is unique in this form: cities, municipalities, and fleet operators can provide autonomous mobility for all simply and reliably." Aside from the proliferation of cameras and sensors, the body work of the ID. Buzz is untouched. The production vehicle's sensor pods, especially the roof-mounted unit, are much more slickly integrated into the body compared to the prototype models. Unlike the regular ID. Buzz electric people mover, which is available in either a two-row five-seat or three-row seven-seat configurations, the AD has a unique interior layout with two narrow seats in the second row, and a large passageway leading to two larger seats in the third row. Each row of seats has SOS emergency stop and support call buttons, a USB-C charging port, and start/stop button. Vinyl seat trim and a hard floor should make the ID. Buzz robotaxi easy to clean. There's also a driver's seat up front. If self-driving without human oversight is allowed by local regulations, the driver's seat can be pushed and tilted forward, and the steering wheel covered. Regardless, the space normally occupied by the front passenger's seat is replaced by a bounded cargo tray suitable for various types of luggage. MORE: Everything Volkswagen ID. Buzz Content originally sourced from:
Perth Now
a day ago
- Automotive
- Perth Now
Volkswagen ID. Buzz AD robotaxi ready for sale from 2026
The production-version of the self-driving Volkswagen ID. Buzz AD taxi has been unveiled, and the automaker is hoping to make it available for use in various markets across Europe and US from 2026. Developed by the Volkswagen Group's MOIA ride-sharing division, the ID. Buzz AD is a SAE Level 4 self-driving vehicle, meaning it drives itself by default, but there are controls for a human to use if the need arises. It autonomous driving technology is from Mobileye, which uses an array of 27 sensors — 13 cameras, nine LIDAR units, and five radars — to generate a 360-degree view. This is married to MOIA's own Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform that manages the robotaxi fleet, deals with passenger assistance and safety issues, and integrates into existing booking apps. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Supplied Credit: CarExpert Volkswagen is looking to sell MOIA's service platform and fleets of the ID. Buzz AD to municipalities, public transport agencies, and private operators looking to get into the ride-sharing and robotaxi scene. This approach contrasts quite starkly with Google's Waymo division, which is developing its own self-driving technology, and running its own robotaxi services in a growing number of cities in the US. Volkswagen and MOIA have been developing the ID. Buzz AD since 2021, and the company originally targeted a launch for 2025. The company has been testing its robotaxi services in two German cities, with the public able to book rides in Hanover and Hamburg. In a prepared statement, Oliver Blume, CEO of the Volkswagen Group, said: 'With our fully autonomous complete solution, we are creating a mobility offering that is unique in this form: cities, municipalities, and fleet operators can provide autonomous mobility for all simply and reliably.' Supplied Credit: CarExpert Aside from the proliferation of cameras and sensors, the body work of the ID. Buzz is untouched. The production vehicle's sensor pods, especially the roof-mounted unit, are much more slickly integrated into the body compared to the prototype models. Unlike regular ID. Buzz models, which are available in either a two-row five-seat or three-row seven-seat configurations, the AD has a unique interior layout with two narrow seats in the second row, and a large passageway leading to two larger seats in the third row. Each row of seats has SOS emergency stop and support call buttons, a USB-C charging port, and start/stop button. Vinyl seats and a hard floor should make the ID. Buzz robotaxi easy to clean. Supplied Credit: CarExpert There's also a driver's seat up front. If self-driving without human oversight is allowed by local regulations, the driver's seat can be pushed and tilted forward, and the steering wheel covered. Regardless, the space normally occupied by the front passenger's seat is replaced by a bounded cargo tray suitable for various types of luggage. MORE: Everything Volkswagen ID. Buzz
7NEWS
a day ago
- Automotive
- 7NEWS
Volkswagen ID. Buzz AD robotaxi ready for sale from 2026
The production-version of the self-driving Volkswagen ID. Buzz AD taxi has been unveiled, and the automaker is hoping to make it available for use in various markets across Europe and US from 2026. Developed by the Volkswagen Group's MOIA ride-sharing division, the ID. Buzz AD is a SAE Level 4 self-driving vehicle, meaning it drives itself by default, but there are controls for a human to use if the need arises. It autonomous driving technology is from Mobileye, which uses an array of 27 sensors — 13 cameras, nine LIDAR units, and five radars — to generate a 360-degree view. This is married to MOIA's own Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform that manages the robotaxi fleet, deals with passenger assistance and safety issues, and integrates into existing booking apps. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Volkswagen is looking to sell MOIA's service platform and fleets of the ID. Buzz AD to municipalities, public transport agencies, and private operators looking to get into the ride-sharing and robotaxi scene. This approach contrasts quite starkly with Google's Waymo division, which is developing its own self-driving technology, and running its own robotaxi services in a growing number of cities in the US. Volkswagen and MOIA have been developing the ID. Buzz AD since 2021, and the company originally targeted a launch for 2025. The company has been testing its robotaxi services in two German cities, with the public able to book rides in Hanover and Hamburg. In a prepared statement, Oliver Blume, CEO of the Volkswagen Group, said: 'With our fully autonomous complete solution, we are creating a mobility offering that is unique in this form: cities, municipalities, and fleet operators can provide autonomous mobility for all simply and reliably.' Aside from the proliferation of cameras and sensors, the body work of the ID. Buzz is untouched. The production vehicle's sensor pods, especially the roof-mounted unit, are much more slickly integrated into the body compared to the prototype models. Unlike regular ID. Buzz models, which are available in either a two-row five-seat or three-row seven-seat configurations, the AD has a unique interior layout with two narrow seats in the second row, and a large passageway leading to two larger seats in the third row. Each row of seats has SOS emergency stop and support call buttons, a USB-C charging port, and start/stop button. Vinyl seats and a hard floor should make the ID. Buzz robotaxi easy to clean. There's also a driver's seat up front. If self-driving without human oversight is allowed by local regulations, the driver's seat can be pushed and tilted forward, and the steering wheel covered. Regardless, the space normally occupied by the front passenger's seat is replaced by a bounded cargo tray suitable for various types of luggage.
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Laws needed on commercial delivery drones as Dublin residents turned into guinea pigs – they can't be pawns in tech race
WE are all used to politicians droning on in Leinster House, but last week it was drones of a different sort that was centre of a Dail debate. The chamber heard that 2 Dublin Central Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon warned Ireland is at a 'tipping point' in the roll-out of commercial drone activity Credit: GARY ASHE - COMMISSIONED BY THE SUN DUBLIN Several TDs raised concerns from their constituents on noise pollution caused by these types of delivery drones. Dublin Central Writing in The Irish Sun today, Gannon says the Government has not kept pace with the industry on regulation. Read more in News The deputy added: 'Commercial drone operators are scaling up fast and they're doing it in a regulatory void. 'That's why people feel unheard. And that's why the Government needs to step in. The question is simple — who is this technology serving right now?' IN theory, drones zipping through the sky with your takeaway order might sound like progress — the kind of futuristic convenience we are expected to be grateful for. But for the people living underneath them, it doesn't feel like progress at all. Most read in The Irish Sun It feels intrusive, it feels unregulated and it feels like something that's been dropped into communities without any real thought for those who live there. Right now, in parts of my constituency like Drumcondra and Glasnevin, drones fly daily above homes, schools, parks and playgrounds. Clearest vid yet of daring Op Spiderweb shows 35 Ukrainian bomb drones blowing up plane after multimillion dollar plane They come with a persistent hum that cuts through double glazing and disrupts life. This isn't the future — it's here and it's operating in a vacuum, without a shred of regulation on how it impacts people, our communities or even the environment. I raised this issue in the Dail as residents are rightly frustrated. They are not anti-technology. They are not anti-innovation. What they are opposed to is being turned into guinea pigs in a commercial trial that no one signed up for. A trial that is now unfolding directly over their homes. NO PROPER RULES There are no proper rules in place to assess or address how drones affect quality of life. The Irish Aviation Authority has said as much. While the IAA handles licensing and air safety, the 'how to fly' part, it has no remit over issues that actually matter to so many residents — noise, planning, environmental impact or how drones interact with people in dense urban areas. Take Drumcondra, for example. It was recently named as Ireland's first autism-friendly village. And that recognition comes with a duty to protect sensory and environmental stability. The repetitive drone noise — particularly from models using LIDAR (light detection and ranging) — cuts through that calm and undermines the work being done to make the community more inclusive for its neurodivergent residents. RESTRICTED ZONE And then there is the environmental risk. This part of the city is a vital urban wildlife corridor. It is home to protected bats and nesting birds, yet drones are already flying through these zones without any environmental assessments, with no permits, and without any oversight. That's not innovation — that's recklessness. When local residents met with the IAA, the agency acknowledged these problems and they proposed a practical solution — a temporary drone restricted zone. But for that to happen, the Minister for Transport must act. So far, however, there's been silence. COMMON SENSE APPROACH What we are asking for isn't radical. We're not calling for a ban. We're calling for common sense, for regulations to catch up with technology, and for communities to be protected in the meantime. If remote or rural areas want to pilot drone delivery services, that's different. But high-density urban neighbourhoods in Dublin were never meant to become airborne delivery corridors. Because the families in Glasnevin, the older residents in Drumcondra, the children with sensory needs and the communities trying to protect their local environment — none of them are asking for drone deliveries. LOCALS WANT PEACE They are just asking for peace, for quiet and also for someone to listen to them. Too often, 'innovation' is used as a shield. Raise a concern and you're labelled 'anti-progress'. But that's nonsense. Residents here have engaged in good faith with the drone operator, the IAA and with elected representatives. Their ask is totally reasonable — to be heard and to see their needs reflected in the rules. What they have received instead is silence. And worse, a sense that commercial interests are being waved through while the Government looks the other way. CONCERNS IGNORED We've seen this story before. Hype outpaces regulation, warnings are ignored and communities pay the price. Each time, residents were told not to worry. Each time, their concerns were justified. Communities should not be treated as afterthoughts in the race to adopt shiny new tech. Drone delivery might have a role to play in future. But only if the future is shaped by the people who live in it. 2 Ireland's skies could soon be as busy as our roads as drones deliver 'burgers and lattes' Credit: Getty Images - Getty
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
How Waymo got the edge on the competition and Tesla's robotaxi (so far)
'We are being super paranoid about safety." That's what Tesla CEO Elon Musk said after revealing the company's robotaxi test would start on June 22, later than expected, adding that the date could 'shift' beyond that. Meanwhile, betting site Polymarket lists only a 30% chance that Tesla (TSLA) launches the service before July, highlighting Musk's rosy predictions on self-driving that have been constantly pushed back. While Tesla is on the verge of starting a new chapter for the company, Alphabet's (GOOG) Waymo has been quietly racking up mile after mile, trip after trip, providing actual paid robotaxi rides to customers in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin — where Tesla's test will begin. At stake is a huge opportunity for companies like Waymo, Tesla, and others. Goldman analyst Mark Delaney estimates the market for traditional ride-hailing in the US is worth approximately $58 billion currently, but could be worth more than $330 billion by 2030, with robotaxi-type services pushing the industry forward and reducing costs by — among other factors —not requiring a human driver. Waymo has an early lead, and it seems a big one. Rivals like Argo AI and GM-backed Cruise are gone, leaving only smaller players like Zoox (backed by Amazon), China's Pony AI (PONY), and WeRide (WRD), and of course Tesla. Waymo (before it was even called that) started off as an in-house startup as part of Google's X initiative way back in 2009. After some testing and securing of permits, the project officially became Waymo in 2016, and it started testing its Pacifica hybrid vans kitted out with cameras, LIDAR laser sensors, and radar. In 2018 Waymo and Jaguar paired up, using the British automaker's I-Pace EV for its testing; these are the vehicles most users are accustomed to seeing. Waymo's combination of vision, radar, and LIDAR, which the company calls its 'multimodal' approach, has the company claiming it has the best and safest robotaxi solution. Since 2020, anyone in a service area can download the Waymo app and hail a fully autonomous car. Waymo says it has the most robotaxi miles driven and that the company performs around 250,000 trips a week. A Waymo spokesperson said that the company has not yet seen a vision-only system that can achieve the levels of safety its current system has achieved, asserting that multiple sensors with overlapping fields of view are the best solution. Experts tend to agree. 'Waymo is undoubtedly the leader in autonomous driving technology, with their self-driving software (SDS) being widely regarded as best in class,' said University of San Francisco engineering professor William Riggs, an expert in autonomous technology. 'They have been around the longest, had patient capital, and have the most miles on the road proving that self-driving tech works.' Riggs believes Waymo's software strategy combined with its diversified sensor suite, along with its manufacturer partnerships such as Chrysler, Hyundai, Zeekr, and Toyota, allowed Waymo to maintain a strong presence in the market and adapt to different vehicle platforms. Autonomous expert Katie Driggs-Campbell of the University of Illinois' Grainger College of Engineering agrees. 'Initially, I believe their strength came from the computer vision/learning and compute expertise from Google,' Driggs-Campbell said, noting that Waymo has now 'blended real-world experience, recorded data, and simulation [generated] data to form a reliable system.' Waymo also touts its safety record, as well as how open it's been with data. 'We have an incredibly rigorous safety framework in place, and our safety record speaks for itself,' Waymo's spokesperson said, adding that the company has been voluntarily sharing safety performance data with the public, which goes beyond regulatory requirements. Waymo's approach could not be more different from Tesla's, and that has contributed to the dominant lead it sees currently. Tesla did not immediately respond to Yahoo Finance when seeking comment. But per Musk biographer Walter Isaacson, Musk was enamored with Tesla's vision-only, neural network-powered self-driving system when it was presented to him. He deemed it superior to Tesla's prior system, which ran on millions of lines of code using a rules-based system fed by data coming from radar and LIDAR sensors. Tesla's current FSD (full self-driving) and robotaxi software use only a vision-based system powered by a neural network 'brain' that is constantly training itself using videos collected by millions of Tesla vehicles. (And as opposed to Waymo, Tesla has reportedly asked the city of Austin to block release of safety records related to its robotaxi launch.) While Waymo holds a big early lead, what could stop the pioneer from growing more could be its operations and manufacturing ability. Riggs believes building vehicles at scale remains a significant hurdle for Waymo. 'Currently, they operate between 700 and 1,000 vehicles in their major markets and are producing roughly 1,500 vehicles annually. This relatively modest production volume could become a bottleneck for scaling their operations further,' he said. The other challenge for startups like Waymo in general versus Tesla is that their costs per vehicle are higher. Waymo's self-driving tech and sensors reportedly cost $100,000 plus the cost of the vehicle itself (for example, the Jaguar I-Pace retails for $73,875 in the US). While some of those costs have come down, scaling to new cities and providing enough vehicles to take on Uber, for example, will require more than the 1,500 vehicles currently produced a year. Tesla, meanwhile, has the ability to produce 2 million or more EVs a year, which include the hardware necessary for its FSD and robotaxi software. Tesla also has millions of vehicles on the road that could be converted for robotaxi use, though that would require the company's Hardware 4 autopilot software, which only started rolling out in early 2023. 'AI runs off of data. Waymo is trying to close that data gap with more sensors per vehicle; Tesla is looking to win with more vehicles with targeted data specific to their vision-only approach,' said Ken Johnston, vice president of data and analytics at tech consulting firm Envorso and former exec at Ford and Microsoft. 'Companies like BYD and Tesla also cannot be ruled out, as they continue to innovate and expand their capabilities in this space,' Riggs added. Xiaomi is also testing autonomous driving in China, but the company has suffered from safety issues in early trials. Johnson is bullish on Tesla's robotaxi offering, but the company faces a big challenge in surviving its safety test. Uber's self-driving unit and GM's Cruise could not overcome high-profile accidents. Testing the service without any accidents in a semi-urban environment is not easy. And unlike Waymo, Tesla is under federal investigation for its autonomous software. It also still needs to provide NHTSA with answers to how it plans to roll out its robotaxi program. Meanwhile, Waymo is plugging along, adding more cities to its list of current operations, with Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, D.C., coming online in 2026. Being backed by Alphabet helps too, giving Waymo capital runway for growth, investment, and long-term community outreach. Waymo's technological lead and strong backing from Alphabet clearly have the service in pole position. But this race is far from over. Pras Subramanian is the lead auto reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on X and on Instagram. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
