Tesla Robotaxi Rival Waymo Now Operates In 10 Cities, Touts 200 Million Autonomous Miles Driven, How Do Other Companies Fair - Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL)

Core Insights - Waymo, backed by Alphabet Inc., is expanding its autonomous ride-hailing service, now operating in 10 cities, including the recent addition of Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, and Orlando [2][4] - The company aims to serve over one million rides per week by the end of the year, up from 450,000 rides per week previously reported [2][3] - Waymo has driven over 200 million autonomous miles with its self-driving technology [3] Regulatory Scrutiny - Waymo is under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) due to multiple incidents involving its autonomous vehicles, including a crash into parked cars and a collision with a child in a school zone [4] - NHTSA is currently investigating over 3,000 Waymo autonomous vehicles following these incidents [4] Competitive Landscape - Baidu's Apollo Go has surpassed 20 million lifetime robotaxi rides and reported a significant increase in fully driverless rides, with a 200% year-over-year growth in Q4 [5] - Analysts note that while Waymo's rides are fully autonomous, Tesla's robotaxis still require onboard safety drivers for most of their operations [6] - Waymo has faced challenges, including instances requiring human intervention and taking longer routes [6]