News
Waymo considers selling robotaxis to individual owners
Tesla currently offers its Supervised Full Self-Driving to owners of its vehicles, while Waymo is the only company operating paid autonomous ride-hails at this point.
Alphabet-owned robotaxi company Waymo is mulling over the possibility of selling self-driving vehicles to individual owners in the future, as highlighted last week by the Google parent company’s head executive.
On Thursday, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said during the company’s first-quarter earnings update that Waymo would maintain selling self-driving vehicles to individuals as an option in the future, according to a report from Reuters. Pichai didn’t disclose any specifics about the potential to do so or a timeline, though he noted that “there is future optionality for personal ownership.”
Waymo currently operates over 700 self-driving vehicles, 300 of which are operating in San Francisco, and it’s the only company to operate a paid self-driving ride-hailing service as of yet.
The statement comes as Tesla and other companies aim to launch their own commercial robotaxi services, and while the electric vehicle (EV) giant already sells its Supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) software to individual owners. Additionally, Tesla aims to launch an Unsupervised version in the coming months.
Waymo launched in Austin in January in a unique partnership with Uber, while its self-driving ride-hailing vehicles in California run through its in-house ride-hailing app, Waymo One. It has opened the app to the public in multiple areas of Los Angeles and in cities surrounding and including San Francisco. The company also dropped the need to sign up for a waitlist to use the service in Los Angeles in November, after doing so in the Bay Area earlier that year.
The Alphabet-owned firm also started initial testing in Japan earlier this month, marking the company’s first time in an international market.
Waymo is setting the stage for its rollout in Tokyo. 🇯🇵
Have you experienced a ride in Waymo's self-driving robotaxis?pic.twitter.com/V7lQf1CMjD
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) April 10, 2025
READ MORE ON WAYMO’S ROBOTAXIS: Here’s where Waymo is launching autonomous robotaxis next
Tesla is targeting a launch its first commercial robotaxis and Unsupervised FSD around Austin in June, and CEO Elon Musk reiterated this goal during the company’s Q1 earnings call on Tuesday. When asked about how Tesla expected its commercial robotaxi services would compete with Waymo, which is already operating paid driverless rides in multiple cities, Musk highlighted how costly the company’s cars are to produce:
The issue with Waymo’s cars is it costs way more money, but that is the issue. The car is very expensive, made in low volume. Teslas probably cost 25 percent or 20 percent of what a Waymo costs, and are made in very high volume.
So, ironically, we’re the ones to make the bet that a pure AI solution with cameras, and what do you have? The car actually will listen for sirens and that kind of thing. It’s the right move.
And Waymo decided that an expensive sensor suite is the way to go, even though Google is very good at AI.
Musk also went on to predict that Tesla would eventually capture at least 90 percent of the robotaxi market, or potentially as much as 99 percent, with millions of cars on the road that are already able to run FSD.
He also highlights that Tesla’s vehicles at both the Gigafactory in Austin, Texas and the Fremont, California plant can drive themselves fully autonomously from the end of the production line to the outbound lot. Musk also said that he was “confident” that the first Model Y units to drive themselves to the customer will take place later this year, from both the Fremont and Austin factories.
Ex-Waymo CEO dismisses Tesla, Cybercab: “They’re a car company with a driver-assist system”
Energy
Tesla launches Cybertruck vehicle-to-grid program in Texas
The initiative was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Tesla has launched a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) program in Texas, allowing eligible Cybertruck owners to send energy back to the grid during high-demand events and receive compensation on their utility bills.
The initiative, dubbed Powershare Grid Support, was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Texas’ Cybertruck V2G program
In its post on X, Tesla Energy confirmed that vehicle-to-grid functionality is “coming soon,” starting with select Texas markets. Under the new Powershare Grid Support program, owners of the Cybertruck equipped with Powershare home backup hardware can opt in through the Tesla app and participate in short-notice grid stress events.
During these events, the Cybertruck automatically discharges excess energy back to the grid, supporting local utilities such as CenterPoint Energy and Oncor. In return, participants receive compensation in the form of bill credits. Tesla noted that the program is currently invitation-only as part of an early adopter rollout.
The launch builds on the Cybertruck’s existing Powershare capability, which allows the vehicle to provide up to 11.5 kW of power for home backup. Tesla added that the program is expected to expand to California next, with eligibility tied to utilities such as PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E.
Powershare Grid Support
To participate in Texas, Cybertruck owners must live in areas served by CenterPoint Energy or Oncor, have Powershare equipment installed, enroll in the Tesla Electric Drive plan, and opt in through the Tesla app. Once enrolled, vehicles would be able to contribute power during high-demand events, helping stabilize the grid.
Tesla noted that events may occur with little notice, so participants are encouraged to keep their Cybertrucks plugged in when at home and to manage their discharge limits based on personal needs. Compensation varies depending on the electricity plan, similar to how Powerwall owners in some regions have earned substantial credits by participating in Virtual Power Plant (VPP) programs.
News
Samsung nears Tesla AI chip ramp with early approval at TX factory
This marks a key step towards the tech giant’s production of Tesla’s next-generation AI5 chips in the United States.
Samsung has received temporary approval to begin limited operations at its semiconductor plant in Taylor, Texas.
This marks a key step towards the tech giant’s production of Tesla’s next-generation AI5 chips in the United States.
Samsung clears early operations hurdle
As noted in a report from Korea JoongAng Daily, Samsung Electronics has secured temporary certificates of occupancy (TCOs) for a portion of its semiconductor facility in Taylor. This should allow the facility to start operations ahead of full completion later this year.
City officials confirmed that approximately 88,000 square feet of Samsung’s Fab 1 building has received temporary approval, with additional areas expected to follow. The overall timeline for permitting the remaining sections has not yet been finalized.
Samsung’s Taylor facility is expected to manufacture Tesla’s AI5 chips once mass production begins in the second half of the year. The facility is also expected to produce Tesla’s upcoming AI6 chips.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently stated that the design for AI5 is nearly complete, and the development of AI6 is already underway. Musk has previously outlined an aggressive roadmap targeting nine-month design cycles for successive generations of its AI chips.
Samsung’s U.S. expansion
Construction at the Taylor site remains on schedule. Reports indicate Samsung plans to begin testing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment next month, a critical step for producing advanced 2-nanometer semiconductors.
Samsung is expected to complete 6 million square feet of floor space at the site by the end of this year, with an additional 1 million square feet planned by 2028. The full campus spans more than 1,200 acres.
Beyond Tesla, Samsung Foundry is also pursuing additional U.S. customers as demand for AI and high-performance computing chips accelerates. Company executives have stated that Samsung is looking to achieve more than 130% growth in 2-nanometer chip orders this year.
One of Samsung’s biggest rivals, TSMC, is also looking to expand its footprint in the United States, with reports suggesting that the company is considering expanding its Arizona facility to as many as 11 total plants. TSMC is also expected to produce Tesla’s AI5 chips.
News
Anti-Tesla union leader ditches X, urges use of Threads instead
Tesla Sweden and IF Metall have been engaged in a bitter dispute for over two years now.
Marie Nilsson, chair of Sweden’s IF Metall union and a prominent critic of Tesla, has left X and is urging audiences to follow the union on Meta’s Threads instead.
Tesla Sweden and IF Metall have been engaged in a bitter dispute for over two years now.
Anti-Tesla union leader exits X
In a comment to Dagens Arbete (DA), Nilsson noted that her exit from X is not formally tied to IF Metall’s long-running labor dispute with Tesla Sweden. Still, she stated that her departure is affected by changes to the platform under Elon Musk’s leadership.
“We have stayed because many journalists pick up news there. But as more and more people have left X, we have felt that the standard has now been reached on that platform,” she said.
Jesper Pettersson, press officer at IF Metall, highlighted that the union’s departure from X is only indirectly linked to Tesla Sweden and Elon Musk. “Indirectly it does, since there is a lot of evidence that his ownership has caused the change in the platform to be so significant.
“We have nevertheless assessed that the platform had value for reaching journalists, politicians and other opinion leaders. But it is a microscopic proportion of the public and our members who are there, and now that value has decreased,” Petterson added.
IF Metall sees Threads as an X alternative
After leaving X, IF Metall has begun using Threads, Meta’s alternative to the social media platform. The union described the move as experimental, noting that it is still evaluating how effective the platform will be for outreach and visibility.
Pettersson acknowledged that Meta also does not operate under Sweden’s collective bargaining model, but said the union sees little alternative if it wants to remain visible online.
“In a perfect world, all large international companies would be supporters of the Swedish model when they come here. But unfortunately, the reality is not like that. If we are to be visible at all in this social media world, we have to play by the rules of the game. The alternative would be to become completely invisible, and that would not benefit our members,” he said.
Tesla launches Cybertruck vehicle-to-grid program in Texas
Samsung nears Tesla AI chip ramp with early approval at TX factory
