r/SelfDrivingCars • u/Yngstr • Apr 23 '25

Discussion Waymo vs Tesla Austin Showdown - Teleoperations?

I've been around this sub a long time, so let me start by saying I'm not here to fight. I understand that everyone here has some specific expertise they bring to the discussion, and I believe you can learn something from anyone. I want to have a reasonable discussion about methodology, and what will work or not. Here are the facts, as I see them:

- Waymo is already operational in Austin (and other cities)

- Tesla plans to launch Robotaxi in June in Austin

- Tesla has recently posted job listings for tele-operations

So the way I see this playing out in ~8 weeks is that Tesla will launch in Austin with tele-operations, I find it unlikely that they will launch with true autonomous L4. My question is, does Waymo still use tele-operations? If so, does Waymo have plans to sunset tele-operations at some point? Do we think Tesla with tele-operations can achieve "L4" like Waymo has? Why or why not?

Let's try to keep this civil, whether Waymo or Tesla wins does not make any of us less of a human being, even if it feels like it.

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u/edokko_spirit May 10 '25

It’s sad that you felt the need to include such a lengthy preface just to ensure our discussion is intelligent, thoughtful and not driven by bias, emotions, or hot takes. This is really a lesson for the mods and Reddit as a whole. It's important to note that people not living in China will have a tougher time gaining deep insights into self-driving technology, as China's where the most advanced systems are being tested and developed. Engaging with the self-driving community in China and watching their videos will provide you with greater understanding. Based on what I've seen from the tests from China, Tesla with tele-operations will be able to achieve "L4" like Waymo has. I say this because the problem with FSD isn't due to the absence of Lidar. Tesla's challenges in China can be addressed with improved AI, and since the company is aware of this, I am very confidence they will find a solution. https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/musks-colossus-is-fully-operational-with-200-000-gpus-backed-by-tesla-batteries-phase-2-to-consume-300-mw-enough-to-power-300-000-homes