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

Core Insights - Waymo, backed by Alphabet Inc., has expanded its autonomous ride-hailing service to 10 cities, including four new locations: Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, and Orlando [2] - The company aims to serve over one million rides per week by the end of the year, up from the current 450,000 rides per week [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 200% year-over-year increase in fully driverless rides in Q4 [5] - Analysts noted that while Waymo's rides are fully autonomous, only two out of 15 Tesla Robotaxis operate without onboard safety drivers, indicating a difference in operational models [6] - Waymo's system has also faced challenges, requiring human intervention on occasion and taking longer routes, which affects efficiency [6]