According to Sundar Pichai, Waymo may be open to selling you a self-driving car

During Alphabet’s recent earnings call, CEO Sundar Pichai revealed that Waymo is considering selling autonomous vehicles for personal ownership, marking a potential strategic expansion beyond its current ride-hailing services. This “future optionality around personal ownership” represents a significant evolution for the autonomous vehicle pioneer that has primarily focused on commercial fleet operations until now.

Historical Context and Current Partnerships

2018 Chrysler Partnership: Waymo previously collaborated with Chrysler to develop autonomous Pacifica minivans, exploring private ownership models
Current Commercial Operations: Waymo maintains partnerships with Moove in Miami and Uber in Austin (with Atlanta expansion coming soon)
Global Expansion: The company recently began testing in Japan, demonstrating its growing international presence

The Emerging Personal AV Market Landscape

Waymo’s Potential Consumer Offering

While details remain scarce, industry analysts speculate that Waymo’s consumer vehicles might feature:

The same advanced sensor suite (including lidar) used in current Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis
Five-seat configurations similar to existing fleet vehicles
Potentially higher price points reflecting their premium technology

Tesla’s Competing Vision

Elon Musk has outlined Tesla’s very different approach:

Cybercab Concept: A $30,000 two-seater targeting 2026 availability
Minimalist Design: No steering wheel and camera-only perception system
Aggressive Timeline: Promises of “millions” of autonomous Teslas by late 2025

Critical Differences in Technology and Strategy

Sensor Philosophy

Waymo: Relies on comprehensive sensor arrays including lidar, radar and cameras
Tesla: Bets entirely on camera-based “Tesla Vision” with no lidar

Business Model Evolution

Waymo: Potentially transitioning from B2B to B2C while maintaining commercial operations
Tesla: Building on existing consumer sales while adding robotaxi functionality

Current Operational Reality

Waymo Advantage: Hundreds of vehicles already operating in multiple cities
Tesla’s Challenge: Still awaiting regulatory approval for fully autonomous operations

The Road Ahead for Personal AV Adoption

Key Challenges Both Companies Face

Regulatory Hurdles: Approval processes for consumer-owned autonomous vehicles
Insurance Complexities: Developing coverage models for owner-operated robotaxis
Maintenance Infrastructure: Creating service networks for advanced AV systems
Consumer Acceptance: Overcoming public skepticism about self-driving technology

Market Potential

Industry analysts project:

The global autonomous vehicle market could reach $2 trillion by 2030
Personal AVs may represent 30-40% of total AV sales by 2035
Early adopters likely to be tech enthusiasts and luxury vehicle buyers

Expert Perspectives on the Coming AV Wars

“Waymo’s potential move into consumer sales represents a natural evolution,” says Dr. Sarah Chen, MIT Mobility Initiative researcher. “Their rigorous approach to safety and proven technology gives them an advantage, but Tesla’s existing customer base and manufacturing scale present formidable competition.”

Automotive analyst James Follett notes: “The fundamental difference in sensor strategies will make for an interesting case study in AV development. We’re essentially seeing two completely different technological philosophies competing for the same market.”

What This Means for Consumers

As the personal AV market develops, potential buyers should consider:

Safety Records: Compare real-world performance data as it becomes available
Total Cost of Ownership: Factor in potential savings from robotaxi income
Geographic Availability: Services will likely roll out in select markets first
Technology Maturity: Early versions may have operational limitations

The coming years will prove crucial in determining whether Waymo’s methodical, safety-first approach or Tesla’s ambitious, scale-focused strategy will dominate the personal autonomous vehicle market. One thing is certain: the race to put self-driving cars in private garages is heating up.

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Cars

Trevor Milton, the founder of Nikola, is charged with attempting to sabotage the bankruptcy case

by George Mensah 2025-04-12

What started as a smooth court hearing on Friday regarding the sale of Nikola Corporation’s key assets to Lucid Motors took a sharp turn toward controversy — all thanks to a late intervention by a familiar figure from Nikola’s past.

The hearing, conducted via Zoom and overseen by Delaware bankruptcy judge Thomas Horan, had been progressing without a hitch. No formal objections had been filed, and Judge Horan gave his verbal approval for the sale without hesitation. That is, until a new voice broke the calm.

A lawyer, representing ISSO LLC — a firm tied to Trevor Milton, Nikola’s embattled founder — spoke up. His client had “concerns” about the auction process, the attorney said, though he clarified they could be addressed later. He emphasized, however, that he didn’t want his client’s current silence to be used against them in future legal proceedings.

This seemingly minor comment cast a long shadow over what should have been a straightforward conclusion. Trevor Milton, recently spared a prison term by a pardon from former President Donald Trump, appears far from finished with Nikola.

Milton’s Ongoing Influence and Legal Entanglements

Trevor Milton has a complicated history with Nikola. After resigning amid fraud allegations, he faced multiple lawsuits and an arbitration award ordering him to pay $168 million to Nikola — a sum that plays a critical role in the company’s ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Before filing for bankruptcy, Nikola agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit from shareholders who had accused Milton of making false and misleading statements. That settlement hinged on distributing any proceeds from the arbitration award to affected shareholders.

Milton’s legal maneuvering during the bankruptcy process has not gone unnoticed. His representatives’ attempts to contest the sale or delay proceedings suggest he may be angling to undermine the company’s efforts to stabilize and move forward — potentially impacting that $168 million award.

What Lucid Motors Is Gaining — and What Nikola Still Holds

Despite the courtroom drama, the sale to Lucid Motors was officially approved. Lucid acquired:

Nikola’s Coolidge, Arizona factory
The Phoenix headquarters lease
Key manufacturing equipment
Around 300 Nikola employees who will join Lucid’s workforce

However, Nikola is not completely out of the asset business. It retains its inventory of hydrogen-powered trucks and various other equipment, leaving the door open for additional sales to generate much-needed funds.

Nikola’s Legal Team Pushes Back Against Milton

Nikola’s attorney, Joshua Morris, made it clear during the hearing that Milton’s last-minute objections were not only expected but also unwelcome.

“This is a pattern of behavior that we’ve seen over and over,” Morris said, referencing Milton’s history of disruptive tactics.

Morris argued that Milton’s actions appeared to be an effort to sabotage Nikola’s recovery, speculating that Milton might be trying to force a desperation-driven settlement that would devalue the arbitration award he owes.

“We believe these are baseless assertions. When asked for any evidence or specificity, none was provided,” Morris stated. “We ran the sale process openly and involved all parties.”

Ultimately, the hearing concluded without any formal delays, though the unresolved tension between Milton and his former company leaves open the possibility of future legal battles.

A spokesperson for Milton did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

What This Means for Nikola’s Future

The approval of the asset sale to Lucid Motors is a critical milestone for Nikola as it seeks to navigate bankruptcy proceedings and chart a path forward. However, Trevor Milton’s lingering influence and legal maneuvers could continue to complicate efforts to fully stabilize the company.

As Nikola pushes forward, the focus will likely remain on:

Successfully liquidating remaining assets
Upholding the shareholder settlement linked to Milton’s arbitration award
Minimizing disruption from ongoing legal threats

Lucid Motors, meanwhile, gains valuable infrastructure and talent to bolster its own ambitions in the competitive EV market.

Cars

Amazon’s Zoox starts robotaxi testing in Los Angeles

by George Mensah 2025-04-08

Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous car unit, is deploying a small fleet of adapted test vehicles on Los Angeles streets beginning Tuesday, a tiny but significant step as the company prepares to provide public rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco later this year.

The data-collection endeavor marks Zoox’s entry into its sixth city and provides the framework for a potential robotaxi service. Zoox, unlike rival Waymo, which offers paid robotaxi rides in Los Angeles, is still in its early phases. This deployment will send out manually driven Toyota Highlanders equipped with Zoox’s self-driving technology to collect mapping data ahead of more extensive autonomous testing in Los Angeles this summer.

Zoox is actively testing its self-driving vehicles, including the Highlander test fleet and a purpose-built robotaxis without a steering wheel or pedals, in multiple cities. Notably, Zoox has increased the regions where its purpose-built robotaxi is being tested on public highways without a human driver, including Foster City, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. Zoox recently invited employees, reporters, and other qualified guests to test the service.

The company is also doing tests in Austin, Miami, and Seattle with Highlanders driven by human safety operators.

Zoox’s expansion in California comes just a few weeks after the company issued a voluntary software recall on 258 vehicles owing to difficulties with its autonomous driving system that caused unexpected forceful braking.

Zoox’s debut into Los Angeles comes after Waymo launched a fully autonomous commercial robotaxi service in the city. Waymo is currently the only AV firm in the United States that provides a paid service in many areas, including the Bay Area, Phoenix, and Austin. The Alphabet-owned startup plans to establish a commercial service in Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, D.C. within the next two years.

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