CAR WARS
Tesla eyes San Antonio for Cybercab launch as robotaxi race heats up
The autonomous future is upon us.
This fall, San Antonio's biggest rivalry may not be Churchill vs. Clark. Tesla's Robotaxi service is coming for Waymo as it seeks to gain market ground.
As with all things related to Elon Musk, Tesla revealed the move via an X post. San Antonio will be one of four new markets, along with Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Jacksonville, Florida.
The announcement wasn't exactly an earth-shattering surprise. Tesla has been prepping charging stations for its fleet near the San Antonio International Airport and Pearl. And its champagne-colored Cybercabs, which are neither equipped with steering wheels nor brake pedals, have become a frequent sight.
The company hasn't said when locals will be able to hail a ride or how much of the city the service will cover. But judging by its service maps for Texas' other metros, it is likely to launch in the city's core.
In San Antonio, Tesla is behind the curve. Waymo, owned by Google's parent corporation Alphabet, officially launched ride-hailing in February, adding airport service in March. Although the company has had a few hiccups, its new baby blue fleet is now a common sight on local highways. After previously maintaining a waiting list, it recently opened up its app to all local riders.
But in a July 22 Q2 earnings call, Musk said he still anticipated rapid growth, despite the legwork still to be done in building the fleet. A third-party tracker estimates that Waymo's statewide fleet now includes 1,207 vehicles compared to Tesla's 1, 080.
Fleet size isn't the only difference between the dueling services. Waymo uses a complex system of sensors for spatial awareness and weather accommodations. Tesla is banking on its AI vision-only learning to eventually help it scale.
