Alphabet’s autonomous vehicle division, Waymo, is exploring the possibility of allowing individuals to purchase its self-driving robotaxis in the future. This potential development was referenced by Alphabet Chief Executive Sundar Pichai during the company’s first-quarter earnings call. Although Pichai did not disclose detailed plans or a launch timeline, he mentioned that personal ownership of Waymo vehicles could be an option at some point.
At present, Waymo operates a fleet of more than 700 autonomous vehicles, with 300 stationed in San Francisco. It remains the only company in the United States currently offering uncrewed robotaxi rides that generate revenue. The company’s vehicles rely on an integrated system of cameras, lidar sensors, and detailed environmental mapping, which differs from Tesla’s approach of using camera-only systems coupled with artificial intelligence. Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk has stated that Tesla vehicles are significantly less expensive to produce than Waymo’s and are manufactured at a much larger scale.
Waymo is also expanding its service footprint through collaborations with several partners, including Uber, Moove, Hyundai, Zeekr, and Jaguar. Its robotaxi services are active in cities such as San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin, with expansion efforts underway in Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, D.C. Recent operational data indicates that Waymo is completing over 250,000 paid autonomous rides per week.
Industry observers have indicated that if Waymo moves forward with offering vehicles for private purchase, it would likely do so through partnerships, given Alphabet’s lack of vehicle manufacturing infrastructure. An analyst from Edward Jones remarked that it is unlikely Alphabet would enter automobile production directly.
This potential shift in Waymo’s strategy emerges as Tesla prepares to introduce its own robotaxi service across multiple U.S. states, beginning with an anticipated rollout in Austin, Texas, in June 2025. Tesla plans to enable owners to deploy their vehicles on a ride-hailing network when not using them personally. Nevertheless, some experts in autonomous driving technology have questioned whether Tesla will be able to meet its proposed launch schedule due to ongoing technical and regulatory challenges.
