Waymo Responds To Tesla’s Dick Joke With A Bigger Austin Robotaxi Map

Earlier this week, Elon Musk posted an image of Tesla’s robotaxi work area successful Austin, Texas, that was successful nan style of a penis. Hilarious, I know, but much importantly: it appeared that Tesla’s representation was slightly larger than Waymo’s work area, which covers conscionable 37 quadrate miles successful Austin.

Today, Waymo announced its ain description — minus nan puerile humor. It’s conscionable a bigger representation pinch much customers for nan Alphabet-owned company’s budding robotaxi business. And much unit connected Tesla to driblet nan dick jokes and get superior astir autonomous driving.

Waymo’s caller representation covers 90 quadrate miles successful Austin, which is an summation from nan existent 37-square-mile work area. New neighborhoods see Crestview, Windsor Park, Sunset Valley, Franklin Park, and more, arsenic good arsenic celebrated destinations for illustration The Domain and McKinney Falls State Park. Waymo provided a map, pinch nan aged work area successful acheronian bluish and nan caller 1 successful ray blue.

In its announcement, Waymo stressed that it’s “the only afloat autonomous, 24/7 acquisition for anyone successful Austin,” a clear reference to Tesla’s limitations. Waymo’s vehicles are unsupervised and disposable astatine immoderate time, while Tesla’s vehicles see a information show successful nan rider seat, only run betwixt 6AM and midnight, and are invite-only.

Still, this is 1 of nan first times that Waymo is experiencing title successful 1 of its robotaxi cities, and nan institution intelligibly relishes nan fight. Waymo besides stressed “no waitlists aliases caveats” arsenic portion of its service, which is disposable exclusively connected nan Uber app.

Service area is simply a cardinal metric successful operating a robotaxi service. Companies thin to target denser areas pinch much customers and much desirable locations, while besides keeping successful mind that expanding excessively quickly could discuss safety.

This is 1 of nan first times that Waymo is experiencing title successful 1 of its robotaxi cities

Tesla’s robotaxis person already racked up a database of mistakes, and nan beingness of nan information show is simply a clear motion that nan institution isn’t assured capable successful its exertion to deploy its vehicles without supervision. Meanwhile, Austin residents person revenge galore complaints pinch nan metropolis astir Waymo’s slow-moving, overly cautious vehicles. One customer got stuck wrong a Waymo connected a engaged street. Still, location person been nary superior information incidents involving either institution successful Austin yet.

Embarrassing incidents are a certainty arsenic much robotaxis deed nan roadworthy and their work areas expand. But erstwhile it comes to scale, Waymo is nan clear victor correct now. The institution has much than 1,500 vehicles successful 5 awesome cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, and Atlanta. Tesla has said that it wants to grow to Arizona and California, though it has yet to use for respective required permits successful nan latter.

Waymo announced different awesome milestone earlier this week: 100 cardinal miles of afloat autonomous driving. Tesla said earlier this twelvemonth that its customers have driven much than 3.5 cardinal miles while utilizing nan company’s Full Self-Driving characteristic — which requires quality supervision astatine each times.