Summary

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 …

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.

“State of play: Waymo’s third location is its largest yet locally, meant to support EV charging and vehicle maintenance, says Matt Walsh, the company’s east coast policy chief.

  • Waymo declined to give specifics like the addresses of its facilities or their total anticipated investment in D.C. (‘tens of millions of dollars’ and ‘hundreds of jobs’).
  • But Walsh gave reporters a tour of a separate facility it’s constructing in Northeast on Wednesday. The 32,000-square-foot space is across from a Metrobus depot and will act like a tire-and-repairs center for its Jaguar SUVs tricked out with radars and sensors.
  • Jobs include maintenance technicians (hefty EVs wear out tires faster), ‘autonomous specialists’ for its testing vehicles, and vehicle cleaners.”

Interesting. So, counter to what some people in the industry are saying, despite drivers losing their jobs, Waymo is arguing that other jobs are being created at the same time. (I feel like part of the case for robotaxis is being critiqued here, but we’ll just leave that topic for now.)

The city council has proposed a bill allowing just 200 robotaxis in the city, but Waymo clearly doesn’t see that as adequate or wise. Meanwhile, Waymo estimates DC has more than 3,000 ride-hailing company vehicles roaming the streets.

Whatever happens, though, it’s apparently going to take a while for anything to change. “The D.C. Council could make a final vote on the pending bill this coming fall or winter. If approved, service wouldn’t begin until 2028,” Axios adds.

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