Business Development & Strategic Partnerships Lead

Waymo reportedly plans to put 20,000 robotaxis on the road by the end of 2027. The company reportedly plans to double its current fleet by the end of this year alone. By Bruce Gil Published October 20, 2026, 11:45 am ET Reading time 2 minutes Get ready to see a lot more driverless Waymos on the road. Semafor is reporting that Waymo plans to use some of its newly secured funding to rapidly expand its robotaxi fleet over the next 14 months, citing people familiar with the matter. The Alphabet-owned company reportedly wants to grow its fleet fivefold, from roughly 4,000 vehicles today to 20,000 by the end of 2027. By the end of this year alone, Waymo aims to have 8,000 vehicles, doubling its fleet in less than three months. The news comes less than two weeks after Waymo announced that it had secured a $5 billion loan, marking its first debt financing and what the company called an "important step in our evolution into a scaling commercial enterprise." Waymo also raised $16 billion from investors earlier this year. The company said the new financing would help accelerate the expansion of its driverless ride-hailing service across the United States and around the globe. Waymo currently operates in 15 U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Just last week, the company opened its service to everyone in San Antonio, San Diego, and Tampa. Waymo has announced plans to expand to London and Tokyo, and on Tuesday, it revealed that it's also headed to Madrid, where it hopes to begin offering rides in 2027. A major part of Waymo's expansion plans involves importing thousands of Chinese-made electric vehicles. The New York Post reported Monday, citing data from research firm MoffettNathanson, that Waymo is on pace to import roughly 5,100 Ojai vehicles by the end of this year. The Ojai is Waymo's next-generation robotaxi, built on an electric vehicle supplied by Zeekr, a Chinese automaker owned by Geely. It runs on Waymo's sixth-generation autonomous driving system, which the company says uses fewer, less expensive components and is designed to handle a wider range of driving conditions. The new vehicles mark a major shift for Waymo, whose fleet has largely consisted of Jaguar I-Pace EVs running on its fifth-generation self-driving system. Jaguar discontinued the I-Pace in 2024, and Waymo received its final delivery of the vehicles last year. But importing Chinese EVs into the U.S. is not simple task. Steep tariffs and national security restrictions have largely kept Chinese-made vehicles out of the American market. Chinese EVs face a 100% tariff on top of other import duties, while the Commerce Department has placed restrictions on Chinese and Russian-connected car tech. Waymo has found a way to navigate those restrictions. The company imports versions of the Zeekr vehicles without the Chinese-made autonomous driving systems or connected software covered by the rules. It then installs its own U.S.-developed self-driving technology at a facility in Mesa, Arizona. And despite the steep tariffs and growing scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers, the numbers appear to be working for Waymo to keep importing them. Waymo did not immediately respond to Gizmodo's request for comment.

Waymo plans to grow its fleet fivefold, using the $5 billion it recently borrowed, according to people familiar with the matter. The company has 4,000 cars. It aims to reach 8,000 by the end of this year and 20,000 by the end of next year. Waymo said in a statement on its website that it raised the funds to expand in the US and abroad. It operates in 15 US cities and is bringing rides to Toronto, San Diego, Tampa, and San Antonio. In Nashville, it opened a facility with Lyft to charge, clean, and maintain cars. The New York Post reported that Waymo has ordered thousands of cars from China. It has also rebranded versions of a vehicle made by Zeekr, a unit of Geely Holding Group.

D.C. Mayoral nominee says District should not rush Waymo legislation. Published October 18, 2026 at 5:00AM D.C. Councilmember and Democratic mayoral nominee Janeese Lewis George is urging the District to slow down efforts to legalize fully autonomous vehicles, citing concerns about potential job displacement and worker protections as Waymo prepares to bring its driverless ride-hailing service to Washington, D.C. A video of the Waymo experience can be seen below. Lewis George, who represents Ward 4 on the D.C. Council, shared her concerns on social media following Waymo's official debut in the District. "DC is facing a jobs crisis," Lewis George wrote. "Rushing the legalization of autonomous vehicles is irresponsible given the anticipated AI-related job displacement and disruptions that put countless workers at risk." Lewis George said the District should be able to embrace emerging technology while also protecting workers and focusing on public safety. "DC must be a leader in welcoming new technology while supporting workers and prioritizing safety," she wrote. "Let's get this right and not rush Waymo legislation this year." Waymo announced in March 2025 that its fully autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo One, was coming to Washington, D.C. The company said at the time that it would work with local communities, emergency responders, and policymakers as it prepared for operations in the District. Waymo One uses fully autonomous vehicles without a human driver and was already operating in cities including San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin when the D.C. expansion was announced. More recently, the Washington Business Journal reported that Waymo committed "tens of millions" of dollars toward three automotive depots in the District and was targeting an early 2027 rollout of driverless vehicles. Lewis George's comments put the future of autonomous vehicle legislation among the technology and workforce issues likely to receive increased attention as Waymo moves closer to launching fully driverless service in the nation's capital.