The other robotaxis: Meet the cabs coming for Waymo’s throne

There’s been just one robotaxi option for most San Franciscans since last summer: Waymo. But the pool of driverless cab companies is about to get much larger.

A handful of companies from China and America are competing for the chance to take over the taxi market, not just in San Francisco but around the world. Each of the new cars on the block has its own style.

Some are camouflaged. Others are shaped like toasters. So what’s coming down the autonomous-taxi pipeline? Let’s get into it.

Given that Tesla already has personal self-driving vehicles on the market, it’s only logical that the electric car behemoth would have a robotaxi. What’s taking so long? CEO Elon Musk has provided many false deadlines; he once claimed the robotaxis would be ready to go in 2020.

Musk now claims that there will be Tesla robotaxis, in the form of existing models 3 and Y, in U.S. cities by the end of 2025. Meanwhile, Tesla in October unveiled a two-door Cybercab, which Musk expects to be in production next year.

According to a report in The Washington Post, the California Public Utilities Commission is considering a permit for Tesla that would allow passengers to summon the company’s self-driving taxis for free. Musk has stated that he sees the taxi service as the key to the company’s growth. Tesla’s press office did not respond to a request for comment.

Nuro in 2022 started rolling out autonomous delivery vehicles in Palo Alto and Mountain View in coordination with UberEats before pivoting last year to a licensing model that will allow it to sell its autonomous driving system to other manufacturers, such as Volvo or Nissan.

Spokesperson David Salguero said Nuro was the first company in California to get an autonomous driving permit. It is now one of three that have a commercial autonomous permit (alongside Waymo and Mercedes), which means it can legally sell its system once the technology is ready.

“You’re not likely to see a Nuro robotaxi on a Nuro app or anything like that,” Salguero said. “We want to work with partners to help them bring their remote taxis and self-driving vehicles to market much more quickly.”

To make that happen, it’s important to bring down the cost of the technology while maintaining a high bar for safety and effectiveness.

“[Nuro] is a system that can be adapted to many different vehicle types,” Salguero said. “That’s how we believe autonomy becomes a more ubiquitous and beneficial technology.”

Salguero declined to provide a timeline on when Nuro-powered taxis could hit the market.

Chinese manufacturers are also in the game. 

Guangzhou-based WeRide in August won approval to test its automated car with passengers in California. Founded in 2017, WeRide in October became the world’s first publicly listed autonomous driving company, raising $440.5 million in its IPO and private placement. 

WeRide’s website states that it “is the only tech company in the world that holds driverless permits” in China, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, and the U.S.

The company differentiates itself with its array of vehicles, which include the Robotaxi, the Robobus, the Robovan, the Robosweeper (for street cleaning), and WePilot, a personal car with driver-assist capabilities.

WeRide representatives did not respond to a request for comment. The company has not released information on when Americans can expect the cars to be available.

Zeekr, another Chinese electric automaker, has teamed up with Waymo to produce a minivan robotaxi — a handful of which have been spotted on SF streets sporting a sort of digital urban camo.

The minivans will have Waymo’s sixth-generation hardware, which the company claims is more cost-effective and safer in wintry conditions.

Neither Zeekr nor Waymo responded to a request for comment.

You’ve probably seen or heard about Zoox — you know, the toaster on wheels. Unlike Waymo and Tesla’s robotaxis, Zoox has no steering wheel, gas or brake pedal, or front or back seat.  It’s effectively a street gondola, in that riders take up the entirety of the car, facing forward and back, for what the company says is a “more enjoyable” experience than traditional taxis or Waymo.

Since 2017, Zoox test vehicles — which are outfitted Toyota SUVs — have navigated San Francisco with a safety driver inside. And since November, several have been roaming in the robotaxis with specially approved passengers — usually Zoox employees.

Zoox is tight-lipped on when other San Franciscans will be allowed to take a spin in the toasters.