Image courtesy of Kyle Field.
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The race is on in the robotaxi industry to get into new markets, build up customer bases, and edge out the competition before they arrive — or at least at these nascent stages when no one is too massive or dominant. I just covered news of Zoox launching paid service in Las Vegas, and last week highlights its approval from the NHTSA to deploy 5,000 robotaxis and start charging customers. Then there’s also Tesla rolling out robotaxis to some degree. Perhaps Waymo is finally feeling a bit of pressure in the super young industry and is looking to respond. One way to respond is to get policymakers behind the company and its approach.
Reporting this week from the US capital tells us that Waymo is jacking up its lobbying efforts in Washington, DC. “Waymo says it just leased a third D.C. location, but its robotaxi rollout is still pending a council bill,” Axios reports.
“Why it matters: The company wants to show council members skeptical about job losses that it’s already putting down roots and ready to invest more.
