?? My first, magical Waymo ride
After changing my view of self-driving cars by using my head and thinking through the data, I can confirm that my heart (and guts) agree with that rational conclusion.
I’ve been in the Bay Area for a few days, so I have been finding reasons to jump into Waymo cars. You order the car from the slick Waymo app, which provides simple instructions for finding and getting into the vehicle.
In short, the experience is magical. It works. The car drives well. As a passenger, the rear screen tells you where you are and how the journey is going. The privacy is frankly marvellous. The cars have been pretty clean, better than the average Uber, but not as immaculate as a high-end Wheely. Pricing? Hard to tell. It felt like the same price as an Uber Comfort.
Yesterday, Rohit Krishnan treated me to a spin in his Tesla with full-self driving. I’ve got to admit that it is pretty remarkable, but it didn’t feel quite as polished as the Waymo experience.
I felt safer in the Waymo than the Tesla. Something about the experience's details: the car ensured I could board it safely and gave a pre-ride safety briefing. Most importantly, the battery of sensors in multiple modes, with oodles of redundancy, signalled this robot would try to keep me safe. Not that the Tesla didn’t and wouldn’t be safe, but rather that the white Waymo car had been engineered to go above and beyond.
It’s magical.
Remember that a Waymo vs Tesla FSD is not a like-for-like comparison as the Waymo cars are engineered for the robotaxi experience with an estimated cost of between USD $200k to 400k whereas whichever Tesla you rode had its standard FSD software/hardware in it. At a cost multiple of over 10x, the Waymo better feel safer and more robotaxi-like. PS: I first rode a Waymo about 12 months back and it did feel incredible - I drive two Teslas and the FSD is simply remarkable for the price I paid for it. The jury might be out of this but I know where I've put my money - its not an overly engineered car but one that will possibly win with its lower cost production/distribution model ie Tesla!
ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND ENVIRONMENT CONSULTANT - ENGINEER
3 周Hi Azeem; It's fascinating to witness the evolution of self-driving technology firsthand. Your experience with Waymo highlights how user-friendly interfaces and data-driven insights can reshape perceptions. As we embrace these innovations, it's essential to balance rational analysis with emotional responses, ensuring that technology enhances our lives while addressing safety and ethical concerns
CEO BlueCallom, Focusing on Human Intelligence Augmentation with Agentic AI Solutions for business!
3 周Hi Azeem - his post is very inspiring. It is just amazing how fast little things change the perception and with it an entire market. Thanks