News
Tesla analyst compares Robotaxi to Waymo: ‘The contrast was clear’
“In short, robotaxi felt like a more luxurious service for half the cost and the driving felt more human-like.”
Tesla analyst Jed Dorsheimer of Wall Street firm William Blair compared the company’s Robotaxi platform to Waymo’s driverless ride-sharing program, and had a clear-cut consensus over which option was better in terms of rider experience.
Dorsheimer visited Austin recently to ride in both Tesla’s Robotaxi ride-sharing program and Waymo, which has operated slightly longer than Tesla has in the city. Tesla started rides on June 22, while Waymo opened its vehicles to the public in March.
A Tesla Model Y L Robotaxi is a legitimate $47k Waymo killer
The analyst gave both platforms the opportunity to present themselves, and by the end of it, one was better than the other in terms of rider experience. However, he noted that both platforms gave safe and smooth rides.
Overall, there was a tremendous difference in the feel and environment of each option.
Tesla Robotaxi vs. Waymo
Dorsheimer said that Tesla’s first big advantage was vehicle appearance. Robotaxi uses no external equipment or hardware to operate; just its exterior cameras. Meanwhile, Zoox and Waymo vehicles utilize LiDAR rigs on their vehicles, which made them “stick out like a sore thumb.”
“In contrast, the robotaxis blended in with other Teslas on the road; we felt inconspicuous flowing with the traffic,” he added.
The next big victory went in the way of Robotaxi once again, and it concerned perhaps the most important metric in the ridesharing experience: price.
He continued in the note:
“Confirming our thesis, robotaxi was half the price of Uber, showing its ability to win market share by weaponizing price.”
In terms of overall performance, Dorsheimer noted that both platforms provided safe and “top-notch” experiences. However, there was one distinction between the two and it provided a clear consensus on which was better.
He said:
“In Austin, we took multiple robotaxi and Waymo rides; the contrast was clear. Aside from the visual difference between each pulling up to the curb, the robotaxi was comfortable and familiar, and it felt as though a friendly ghost chauffeur was driving our personal car. Driving was smooth and human-like, recognizing and patiently waiting for pedestrians, switching into less crowded lanes, patiently waiting to execute a safe unprotected turn, and yet, discerning and confident enough to drive through a light that just turned yellow, so as not to slam on the brakes.
Waymo also provided a top-notch service, and we did not encounter any safety concerns, but if we were to be overly critical, it felt more … robotic. In the cabin, you have to listen to an airline-esque preamble on Waymo and safety protocols, and during the ride, you can hear all the various spinning lidar sensors spooling up and down with electronic whizzing sounds.”
Tesla Robotaxi provides an experience that seems to be more catered toward a realistic ride experience. You can control the music, the cabin temperature, and transitioning your travel from one vehicle to the next during a trip will continue your entertainment experience.
If your first trip ends in the middle of a song, your next trip will pick up the music where it left off.
Meanwhile, Waymo’s experience sounds as if it is more focused on rider expectations, and not necessarily providing a ride that felt catered to the occupants. Still, what’s important is that both platforms provided safe rides.
Dorsheimer ended the note with one last tidbit:
“In short, robotaxi felt like a more luxurious service for half the cost and the driving felt more human-like.”
News
Tesla eyes Los Angeles for Robotaxi operation, job posting suggests
LA is also an ideal location for Robotaxi expansion because of its reputation as a hotspot for ride-sharing services.
Tesla is eyeing Los Angeles for its Robotaxi operation, a new job posting from the company suggests, as it aims to expand its service area in California.
Tesla has been operating its Robotaxi platform in California for several months now, first launching it in July in the Bay Area, spanning from San Francisco to San Jose, giving those who have access to the ride-hailing suite a pretty substantial service area to travel within.
However, the California operation is far from complete, as Tesla is aiming to expand to Los Angeles, a city that sits roughly seven hours south of San Francisco, but is among the most popular markets for its vehicles.
LA is also an ideal location for Robotaxi expansion because of its reputation as a hotspot for ride-sharing services.
Tesla is hiring a Vehicle Operator for its Robotaxi program in Marina Del Rey, a seaside community in Los Angeles County, located near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and several other hotspots. It is a frequent location of travel for tourists, making it ideal for Robotaxi:
Tesla Robotaxi expanding to Los Angeles… 👀 pic.twitter.com/ULBDmgl8Yq
— Jonathan Stokes (@jonathanwstokes) September 30, 2025
There is a substantial difference between how Tesla operates Robotaxi in California compared to Texas, the other state that currently allows passengers to hail a ride through the Tesla Robotaxi app.
In Texas, the majority of rides are considered “driverless,” as there is nobody sitting in the driver’s seat.
This applies to any ride that does not utilize any of the Texas freeways, as highways will require a driver in the seat, something Tesla did when its geofence in Austin expanded to include interstates.
Tesla adjusts Robotaxi safety monitor strategy in Austin with new service area
In California, things are a bit different. The “Safety Monitor” sits in the driver’s seat, regardless of destination or route. This has drawn some criticism, but Tesla has taken this step in an effort to keep passengers and traffic as safe as possible, recognizing that this is essential for these early rides.
Eventually, and potentially as soon as the end of this year, Tesla could remove Safety Monitors from vehicles altogether, as CEO Elon Musk has hinted this is a possibility.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk says huge improvements are coming to what is arguably its coolest feature: Actually Smart Summon (ASS).
Last September, Tesla finally launched ASS, a widely anticipated improvement from its previous Summon iteration, which aims to allow owners to literally summon their vehicle in locations like parking lots.
Tesla finally launches Actually Smart Summon and Dumb Summon
It is one of the most unique things Tesla offers with its Full Self-Driving program.
However, it is still definitely a work in progress. ASS provided owners with a wide variety of improvements, including better range, more accuracy, and better overall performance. It still has its shortcomings, though.
Personally, I’ve found it to be a useful feature, but I also have my own complaints with it. Sometimes, I find it to be too hesitant, or not work at all:
Here’s a very professionally done illustration:
We were at the Red X, the car was at the Blue X, the Green X with the arrow is where the car was stopped, the arrow shows the direction it was facing. pic.twitter.com/tVm5ATajrr
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) September 6, 2025
It seems Tesla is working to improve ASS as much as possible, and one of these improvements includes the ability to summon your car from a different level in a parking garage.
The goal would be to wait at the ground floor, where the exit is, and use ASS from the Tesla app to have the car arrive without having to deal with the elevators, stairs, and other inconveniences.
One owner said ASS would be most useful in a multi-level garage, but it currently does not function as intended. They suggested an altitude sensor “to make it possible to use FSD reliably in garages.”
Musk agreed and said that the inability to use ASS in multi-level garages would not be an issue for long:
Not for long
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 28, 2025
This would be an incredible improvement from what ASS is currently capable of. Of course, it has shown to be greatly improved since its early iterations.
However, there are still some things that need to be fixed in terms of its overall performance and its ability to handle less straightforward scenarios.
Elon Musk
SpaceX shares targets and tentative launch date for Starship Flight 11
As with all SpaceX tests, the estimated timeline for Starship Flight 11 remains subject to change based on conditions and readiness.
SpaceX is targeting Monday, October 13, for the eleventh test flight of its Starship launch system. The launch window is expected to open at 6:15 p.m. CT.
Similar to past Starship missions, a live webcast will begin about 30 minutes before launch on SpaceX’s website, X account, and X TV app. As with all SpaceX tests, the estimated timeline for Starship Flight 11 remains subject to change based on conditions and readiness.
Super Heavy booster landing test
The upcoming mission will build on the data gathered from Starship’s tenth test flight, focusing on booster performance and upper-stage capabilities. The Super Heavy booster, previously flown on Flight 8, will launch with 24 flight-proven Raptor engines, according to SpaceX in a blog post on its official website. Its primary objective is to validate a new landing burn engine configuration designed for the next generation of Super Heavy.
Instead of returning to Starbase, the Super Heavy booster will follow a trajectory toward the Gulf of America. During descent, it will ignite 13 engines before transitioning to a five-engine divert phase and then completing the landing burn with three central engines, entering a full hover while still above the ocean surface, followed by shutdown and dropping into the Gulf of America.
Starship upper-stage experiments
The Starship upper stage for Flight 11 will carry out a series of in-space demonstrations, including the deployment of eight Starlink simulators that are comparable in size to next-generation Starlink satellites. These payloads will reenter and burn up during descent. A planned Raptor engine relight in orbit will also provide valuable test data.
To evaluate the upper stage’s resilience during reentry, SpaceX engineers have intentionally removed heat shield tiles from select areas to stress-test Starship’s thermal protection system. The vehicle will attempt new maneuvers during descent, including a banking profile and subsonic guidance algorithms intended to simulate future return-to-launch-site missions. The upper stage will ultimately target a splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX has already posted a link to the livestream for Starship Flight 11:
Tesla eyes Los Angeles for Robotaxi operation, job posting suggests
Elon Musk says Tesla is bringing a huge improvement to its coolest feature
SpaceX shares targets and tentative launch date for Starship Flight 11
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