Waymo’s Robotaxi Fleet Hits 2,000, Tesla Bows To Rivals & EV Owners Face Woes

The automotive and technology industries have long been intertwined.

However, the past few years have seen an increase in the adoption of software, innovation and other technological marvels.

This includes using artificial intelligence (AI) to boost production, save money and resources, and enhance in-vehicle experiences.

It also pertains to the propulsion of the popularity of robotaxis, i.e., self-driving vehicles that ply the roads as taxis. In this case, the autonomous mobility capabilities expand to buses that transport passengers and trucks that haul goods and other products.

Leading the charge in the autonomous trucking industry is Aurora, which recently partnered with McLeod Software to create the industry’s first Transportation Management System (TMS) for autonomous trucks. Currently, McLeod’s TMS is used by over 1,200 customers.

In the parallel lane—and leading the charge in the robotaxi race—is Waymo, an autonomous mobility company backed by Google's parent company, Alphabet.

Over the past few months, Waymo has (or plans to) expanded to other cities, bringing its self-driving robotaxi service to Philadelphia, Atlanta, New York, Washington, and more, following the announcement of plans to test its vehicles in ten new cities in the United States, beginning with Las Vegas and San Diego. The company has even tested in Tokyo, Japan.

Most recently, it spoke of plans to expand its robotaxi services in Dallas, Texas.

Its demand and interest have grown so much that Waymo noted in a blog post, “We’re constantly asked, 'When will Waymo come to my city?'”

As per Waymo, the answer is, “We’re on our way to serving major cities across the U.S. and other global cities as we work to bring the Waymo Driver to more people.”


The company boasts more than 100 million miles of public road experience spread across over 10 million fully autonomous trips and hundreds of thousands of weekly fully autonomous trips—which is why the company is accelerating its commercial expansion.

Even the Waymo Driver fleet size has grown, now comprising over 2,000 robotaxis, with 800 in the San Francisco Bay Area, 500 in Los Angeles, 400 in Phoenix, 100 in Austin, and “dozens” in Atlanta, as per a report from TechCrunch.

“Riders across the country tell us how our service is helping them move through their communities with greater convenience and independence,” said Waymo. “As we arrive in new cities, we’ll continue engaging closely with regulators, policy makers, and communities to bring the safety, accessibility, and economic benefits of the Waymo Driver to more people.”

Last week, Waymo’s Co-CEO, Dmitri Dolgov, posted a video on social media platform X, highlighting how Waymo’s vehicles helped passengers get to their destination during a haboob—which is an intense dust storm caused by the wind of thunderstorms or other adverse weather conditions—that swept through Phoenix, following monsoon storms, where Waymo’s services remained intact.

While Waymo drives through literal storms, its rival, Tesla, has been battling metaphorical storms.

One of these battles is in the electric vehicle (EV) sector, where Tesla remained a leader for a long while. That was until a host of Chinese automakers stormed the market, eating into Tesla’s dominance.

While no official numbers are out, reports estimate that Tesla’s sales in China will be 29% higher in August than it was in July, but it would mark a 17% decline when compared to last year’s numbers. As such, Tesla slashed the price of its Model 3 LR RWD in China by $1,402, less than a month after launching an updated version.

Meanwhile, China’s XPeng was up 2.7% (from July) and 168.7% (yearly), Xiaomi was up 12% and 159%, Nio grew 52% and 59%, Li Auto was down 2% and 38%, and BYD didn’t see a change from the previous month’s numbers but was down 7% as compared to the previous year, respectively, as per Deutsche Bank.

However, in global markets, BYD is blooming in global markets, and remains the world’s largest EV maker, having recently beaten Tesla in Europe.

Xiaomi’s SU7 had left Tesla’s Model 3 model stunned, as far as demand goes—and now, the smartphone-maker-turned-automaker is ready to challenge the sales of Tesla’s Model Y with its YU7 SUV, posting 240,000 “locked-in” orders within 18 hours of opening sales.

Aside from direct sales-related aspects, Tesla is also recalling vehicles and shutting down partnerships.

In Australia, Tesla has recalled over 7,000 (7,301 to be exact) 2025 Model Y vehicles due to a software glitch that could cause the driver’s side window to close with excessive force, a fault that was found by regulators.

“Due to a software issue, the driver’s side window’s automatic protection system may not operate as intended and result in the window closing with excessive force on any obstruction, such as a body part,” said the department. “If a body part is in the window space when the driver's side window is closing, it can increase the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.”

Coming back to the U.S., as per a report, Tesla has suddenly cut a contract with MPW Industrial Services, which resulted in the layoffs of 82 plant-level jobs at its Gigafactory in Austin. The details were revealed through a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notice filed with the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) on August 27.

As per the notice, the affected positions include 61 technicians, 7 team leads, 7 supervisors, and 7 managers, where the workers are not represented by a union. It also comes with no bumping rights.

Do you think Tesla will be able to emerge victorious from these storms that it’s battling?

Do you think Waymo’s power-packed expansion will help it capture a commanding position in the robotaxi sector?

Let us know in the comments below!