Waymo deploys driverless Jaguars in Los Angeles and San Francisco

Waymo will pull the covers off its fifth-generation robotaxi on Thursday, a sleek white Jaguar I-Pace with no steering wheel and no pedals.

The electric-car company has spent 15 years and $3 billion to get here. The biggest hurdle wasn’t building the car—it was the unseen work: thousands of miles of test drives, dozens of city permits, and endless hours of teaching the software to handle edge cases most humans never think about. Waymo’s cars now log about 100,000 autonomous miles every day across Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Each mile refines the system, but the real test is whether riders trust it enough to climb in without a human at the wheel.

Waymo’s robotaxi will start limited service in Los Angeles and San Francisco this fall, with a $1.25 base fare and $0.87 per minute on the app. The company says it will expand to 4,000 vehicles by the end of 2025, each capable of running 24/7. But the road ahead is bumpy. Regulators are still drafting rules for driverless fleets, insurers are pricing risk, and labor groups are pushing back against job losses for human drivers. Waymo’s own data shows its cars still struggle with emergency vehicles, construction zones, and unpredictable pedestrians.

The launch marks the first time a major automaker is betting its future on robotaxis. If Waymo succeeds, it could redefine urban transport, slash parking demand, and cut emissions. If it stumbles, the entire industry may pause. The easy part—building the car—is done. The hard part starts now.