While both Tesla and Waymo are racing to perfect self-driving cars, the two companies are taking very different approaches. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system has made notable improvements, but critics say it still lags behind Waymo’s more established robotaxi service.
Tesla’s FSD v12 represents a major shift in how the company builds its self-driving software. Instead of using traditional modular framework, Tesla switched to a single end-to-end neural network. This change eliminated approximately 300,000 lines of computer code. Unverified estimates suggest this improvement cut disengagements by 100 times during 2024. Tesla’s data collection model, which gathers an estimated 50 billion miles of training data annually, provides a significant advantage in continuous machine learning improvement.
Despite these gains, real-world testing shows Tesla’s system still faces challenges. During July 2024 testing in Austin, Tesla’s Robotaxi drove down a one-way street in the wrong direction and required human intervention. Tesla’s current robotaxi service remains limited to a small fleet of Model Ys available only to insiders and select invitees.
Real-world testing reveals Tesla’s system still struggles, including a July 2024 incident where its Robotaxi drove the wrong way down a one-way street.
Waymo’s approach differs greatly. The company relies on thorough real-world mapping and multiple sensors working together. Waymo vehicles carry 29 cameras, 6 radars, and 5 lidar sensors. This sensor combination provides three-dimensional environmental awareness. Tesla’s Robotaxi uses only 8 cameras and no lidar or radar. Tesla’s vision-only system requires sophisticated neural networks to interpret two-dimensional camera images into three-dimensional space. Waymo’s fleet consists of retrofitted Jaguar I-PACE SUVs equipped with advanced sensors for enhanced operational reliability. Waymo’s sensor redundancy allows data cross-checking and enhances safety through multiple detection methods.
Business Insider’s head-to-head comparison found Waymo consistently outperformed Tesla’s system in complex urban environments. MotorTrend testing revealed Waymo vehicles showed more assertive driving behavior while strictly following speed limits. Waymo’s sensor redundancy provides increased reliability compared to Tesla’s single-sensor approach.
Safety statistics present a complicated scenario. Bloomberg analysis shows Tesla FSD reports 0.15 crashes per million miles, while Waymo reports 1.16 crashes per million miles. However, Tesla FSD Tracker data shows 24 percent of FSD drives involve disengagement, with 3 percent containing critical disengagements. Tesla’s Autopilot technology demonstrates significantly better safety performance with crashes occurring every 7.44 million miles compared to human drivers who crash approximately every 702,000 miles.
User experience also differs. Waymo operates fully autonomous rides without front-seat personnel in approved zones. Tesla requires safety monitors present during rides. Tesla utilizes data from millions of production vehicles for continuous improvement. Waymo’s operational flexibility remains restricted to pre-mapped areas.
Both companies are advancing self-driving technology, but they’re choosing different paths. Tesla emphasizes neural networks and camera-only vision. Waymo combines extensive mapping with multi-sensor redundancy. The competition will likely drive improvements in both approaches.