Tesla’s latest Full Self-Driving version (FSD v14.2.2.2) boasts smoother lane-changes and better decision-making.
But despite Elon Musk’s big promises, this system is classified as Level 2, meaning that human supervision will still be required.
Alphabet’s self-driving division “Waymo” has launched a fleet of driverless vehicles in multiple US cities, raising doubts about TSLA’s claim to be the leader in autonomous driving.
There are many reasons to think that Tesla is far behind Waymo when it comes to robotaxi service.
The scale of deployment
Waymo has already deployed hundreds of autonomous vehicles in Phoenix, San Francisco Los Angeles and Austin.
Tesla’s Austin robotaxi fleet launched only with 30 vehicles. Tesla’s scale is far behind Waymo.
Driveless capability
Tesla’s FSD requires constant monitoring, whereas Waymo offers rides without a human driver.
TSLA markets its system as “autonomous”, but regulators label it driver-assist. Waymo’s autonomous vehicle technology is further advanced than that of Elon Musk.
Approval by regulatory authorities
Waymo already has permits for commercial driverless service in more than 20 markets.
Tesla, in comparison, has only received regulatory approvals for its robotaxi service in two states. It faces safety investigations in these markets as well.
TSLA cannot expand robotaxi services without regulatory confidence. This limits its ability to compete with Waymo.
The Technology Approach
Waymo uses lidar, high-definition maps, and radar to provide redundancy. Tesla is betting that cameras and neural network can mimic human perception.
The critics argue that this makes a TSLA Robotaxi less reliable than Waymo’s multisensor system in urban complex environments.
Experience in operational experience
Since 2017, Waymo’s driverless cars have logged over a million miles, gaining the trust of customers and accumulating vast amounts of information.
Tesla Inc. has only just begun to introduce robotaxis for consumer testing, so its experience in the real world is still far behind. It is crucial to close this operational gap in order to prove safety and scaleability.
Reliability Gap
Steve Westley, a former Tesla board member, has highlighted a striking reliability difference. Waymo’s vehicles travel an average of 17,000 miles before requiring specialized attention. Tesla only manages 1,500.
Tesla’s claim of autonomy is undermined by the fact that it still requires frequent human supervision.
Tesla’s scale is impressive, but its readiness is lacking
Wedbush senior analyst Dan Ives says that Tesla’s sheer size, and the fact that millions of vehicles are already capable of receiving software updates makes it a better option than Waymo in roboticaxis.
Scale alone will not suffice. Tesla’s massive fleet must be able to overcome technological, regulatory and reliability hurdles in order for it to truly achieve Musk’s vision.
Waymo is still ahead of the competition in terms of autonomy.
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