Waymo, a leading autonomous vehicle company, has just announced a significant expansion of its all-electric robotaxi service area in Austin, Texas. This move comes hot on the heels of Tesla’s recent expansion in the same city, creating a fierce rivalry between the two companies in the autonomous driving space.
Tesla made headlines earlier this week when it doubled its Robotaxi coverage in Austin, expanding its geofence into a unique phallic-shaped area. This expansion gave Tesla a larger autonomous pilot footprint than Waymo, but the tables have turned with Waymo’s latest announcement. Waymo has now extended its geofence from North to South Austin, surpassing Tesla in coverage area.
In a post on X, Waymo proudly declared, “North to South, we’re covering more ground in Austin starting today. Safe and fully autonomous Waymo rides, only on @Uber. See you on the road, ATX.” This expansion is a clear response to Tesla’s recent move and indicates that Waymo is not willing to back down in the face of competition.
The timing of Waymo’s expansion is no coincidence. Tesla only launched its limited Robotaxi pilot in Austin less than a month ago, and the rivalry between the two companies is intensifying. While Tesla’s service is currently limited to registered Early Access testers and select insiders, Waymo rides can be easily booked through Uber, making them more accessible to the public.
Waymo has also achieved a significant milestone by crossing 100 million real-world, fully autonomous miles driven on public roads. This accomplishment solidifies Waymo’s position as a leader in operational experience in the competitive robotaxi landscape.
Austin is quickly becoming the battleground for the robotaxi wars, with Waymo and Tesla vying for dominance in the autonomous driving space. While Tesla’s recent expansion may have raised eyebrows with its suggestive geofence shape, Waymo’s latest move proves that it is ready to compete head-on. It remains to be seen if Tesla will respond with another expansion of its own in the near future.
If you have had the opportunity to spot or ride in a Waymo or Tesla Robotaxi in Austin, we would love to hear about your experience in the comments below. Stay tuned as the competition between these two tech giants continues to unfold in the world of autonomous driving.