(moderator edit) Pretty sure every car manufacturer has ADAS, some more advanced than others.
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Waymo
- Thread starter Daniel in SD
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powertoold
Active Member
diplomat33
Average guy who loves autonomous vehicles
diplomat33
Average guy who loves autonomous vehicles
Waymo spotted in Santa Monica as part of LA testing. Also, interesting, the vehicles have an extra radar on the rear bumper, just under the rear perimeter sensors. There is also a radar next to the license plate. My guess is Waymo is testing a new radar or perhaps testing a new placement of sensors.
diplomat33
Average guy who loves autonomous vehicles
diplomat33
Average guy who loves autonomous vehicles
I feel like this is newsworthy. Waymo is partnering with Uber. Later this year, Phoenix residents will be able to summon a Waymo ride from the Uber app. I feel like this will be a big step in Waymo scaling their ride-hailing since it will mean they can tap into all the existing Uber customers.
EVNow
Well-Known Member
diplomat33
Average guy who loves autonomous vehicles
I don't think we know that. We have to wait for the details of the business deal to be made public. But I imagine that Uber will get a % on each Waymo ride.
It is really a win-win for both companies IMO. Uber failed to develop their own autonomous driving. So Waymo brings their proven autonomous driving tech. By partnering with Waymo, Uber will be able to add autonomous ride-hailing to their revenue. In exchange, Waymo gets access to a proven nationwide ride-hailing app that will help them scale their business model.
Yes an no. I think it's more a sign of their limitations. If they were really in a position to scale they wouldn't need Uber.
Similar to Tesla v The Rest with charging. Tesla could go it alone because they had the scaling ambition to do it.
However, I do think it's a good move as long as they are limited as it will boost ridership until they can scale.
Uber will get some more rides, but there are really only two good outcomes for Uber:
(1) Autonomy doesn't happen
(2) An autonomous taxi company buys them out.
diplomat33
Average guy who loves autonomous vehicles
This quote from Waymo's Head of PR, in the Tech Crunch article, is interesting:
I think the driver-as-a-service model could work really well for Waymo. They could generate extra revenue without all the operating costs of running a large fleet.
I think the driver-as-a-service model could work really well for Waymo. They could generate extra revenue without all the operating costs of running a large fleet.
EVNow
Well-Known Member
Looks like an admission that they can't drum up more sales on their own.
Interestingly - a long time back (whe Elon first started talking about AVs) - Uber said they will buy all the Teslas if self-driving works. Elon said something like, we can run the service ourselves
Now - Uber has a chance. They can buy the Waymo cars
Uber wants to buy all of Tesla's self-driving cars, someday - Autoblog
Uber's CEO told a venture capitalist that he would buy every one of the 500,000 self-driving cars Tesla plans to build in the next five years.
www.autoblog.com
diplomat33
Average guy who loves autonomous vehicles
Doggydogworld
Active Member
Yep. Their entire business model was "build it and they will come". They have no entrepreneurs, no sense of how to win a market and build a business.
Even better, they let Waymo buy the cars and manage the fleet. Uber just provides the app and collects their fee.Now - Uber has a chance. They can buy the Waymo cars
This deal moves Waymo in the opposite direction. Uber is the asset-light service provider here. Waymo is behind the scenes, doing all the heavy lifting.
Anyone who thinks Waymo is on the verge of adding highways and scaling rapidly needs to smell the coffee. This is a go-slow deal.
Waymo One is a technical marvel, but not a viable business because most trips either start or end outside their small service area or require highway travel. Normal humans will not download a separate app for 5-10% of their trips. Waymo had two choices:
1. Become viable -- buy 10k Jaguars, add highways and expand to cover all of Phoenix metro. Take Uber/Lyft on head-to-head.
2. Stay small and grow cautiously
It's very expensive and risky to go big. They chose the safe and slow route. They always will -- it's who they are.
IIRC, the purpose built Zeekr deliveries were expected to begin late this year.
As for how many Waymo deploys, I imagine that is entirely up to Cruise/GM as their expansion path (Origin deliveries also start end of 2023) is likely much more capital efficient. Waymo, however, cannot afford to fall behind in either fleet size or service area.
In short, Waymo will be responding quickly (months, not years) to moves GM makes. Customer-share and visibility of vehicles on the street will be more important than profits.
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diplomat33
Average guy who loves autonomous vehicles
Yes, I believe Waymo will do that. But it won't be with the Jaguars. They will buy 10k of the Geely vehicles. That is what the Geely custom vehicle is for. They are far cheaper than the Jaguars.
EVNow
Well-Known Member
Cruise isn't ready for robotaxi service - IMO. They have too many issues they are brushing under the carpet. If SF had a say, they would not be operating.
Recently took a trip to Phoenix, took 2 trips in Uber and 4 in Waymo, felt way safer in the Waymo vehicles. The Uber drivers had shot suspension and check engine lights or would get lost. The Waymo vehicles drive a bit slow but I always felt very safe.
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