Product Safety Engineer

Waymo wants 20,000 robotaxis by the end of 2027 - five times what it has now. Waymo is reportedly planning to grow its robotaxi fleet from about 4,000 vehicles to 20,000 by the end of 2027. Although the brand has not yet officially confirmed the target publicly, it would multiply the Alphabet-owned company's fleet fivefold in just over a year. The ambition comes with fresh capital, new international footholds, and growing regulatory attention. Waymo has just closed its first-ever debt financing, is preparing to map Toronto, and still faces federal investigations over school-related incidents. Together, these developments show a company moving quickly from pilot programs toward large-scale commercial operations. A two-stage ramp. Waymo wants 8,000 vehicles by the end of this year and 20,000 by the end of 2027, according to Claims Journal, citing a Semafor report based on people familiar with the matter. Notably, the brand did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The plan follows a $5 billion loan from lenders including PIMCO, Blackstone, and Sixth Street, with Goldman Sachs as lead bookrunner, according to TechCrunch. Until now, Waymo relied on Alphabet and outside investors, including a $16 billion equity round in February that valued it at $126 billion. The company described the debt as a step toward becoming a "scaling commercial enterprise." A widening map. Waymo currently offers robotaxi services in 15 markets, including Los Angeles, Austin, and Miami. London and Tokyo are also in testing, with commercial launches planned for both cities. Toronto is the latest addition. Vehicles will appear on its streets within days for mapping and supervised testing, reports Automotive World. The first Canadian passengers are expected in 2028, after the fleet target date. Element Fleet Management will run the local fleet, with CPP Investments and Magna International as existing Canadian partners. The rapid growth has drawn regulators' attention, though. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating Waymo vehicles' behavior around school buses, and separately looked into a collision in which a robotaxi struck a child at about six mph, causing minor injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has also opened an investigation after Waymo robotaxis were repeatedly observed illegally passing stopped school buses in at least two states. Waymo points to more than 400 million km driven autonomously and 95% fewer serious-injury crashes than human drivers. That data comes largely from Sun Belt cities, so Toronto's winters will test the company's all-weather claims. The first checkpoint is reaching 8,000 vehicles by the end of 2026. Whether Waymo can then expand its fleet another 2.5 times in 2027 while addressing regulatory concerns will help determine whether the reported target becomes reality.

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.