Rivian Unveils Custom Silicon, R2 Lidar Roadmap, and Universal Hands Free

Why would I own a car when I can Waymo one?

I’m with you but there are plenty of places where public transit is superior to driving and people still drive.

My cars are more than just transportation. They're mobile storage lockers where I can keep my stuff reasonably secure. They're a place to sit warm and dry while I wait for something else. They're (semi) private changing rooms where I can put on my cycling kit. Regardless of who does the driving I'll never give up owning (or at least leasing) my own private cars.

I don't know you or your situation, but many people (including the idealized version of Rivian's target market) like going places that Waymo currently doesn't. There's also tradeoffs with cost, wait time, # of passengers, cargo, etc. Some people may also want to automate "boring" driving while still having the option to do "fun" driving

Why do people own cars when they can just Uber?

Having your stuff in it already, it's always available immediately (for you), not needing to worry as much about getting it dirty at the beach or with a dog, going to remote places where calling a Waymo may be infeasible or would take a really long time. Probably also cheaper if you drive really frequently.

Because it’s not convenient enough, and too expensive.

Fix those two and personal car ownership will plummet in many places.

Many people don’t want to own a car, pay for insurance, gas, tires, oil changes, parking, washing etc.

Car ownership sucks horribly for most people, it’s just currently the best option. That will change.

And why do you think Waymo will fix all of this?

I don’t particularly think that.

Someone will, I don’t know who. Soon.

This is better solved by leveraging more traditional forms of transportation. Making biking, walking, and various forms of transit easier, safer, and more effective. Cars, whether self-driving or not, are in direct opposition to this.

I'm sure they could be useful to folks that have the specific use-case for it, but the vast vast majority of trips in a person's day-to-day are better solved by robust multi-modal options and public transit. The benefit there is that less drivers means that traffic is actually better for everyone.

Almost all these points apply ride hailing with or without driver-less.

How do Waymo prices compare to Uber where Waymo exists?

I agree with you broadly in principle, but sadly cities in North America have been built for cars, and so they are by far the best way to get around

Because lugging around two child seats when you get out at the other end fucking sucks.

I actually see this as a benefit! Cars take up a lot of space and so now there exists massive right of ways that can be used and modified for other transit modes. Take a lane away from personal cars and dedicate it to buses so they can run faster and avoid traffic. Remove some street parking spots and create a protected bike lane or a street market or something else. The extra space can be a huge boon. It’s pavement, basically a blank canvas imo.

If you want to leave the waymo boundaries?