We Rode in Tesla’s Robotaxi, Here's Our Experience
Autonomy Markets12 Heinä 2025

We Rode in Tesla’s Robotaxi, Here's Our Experience

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk headed to Austin, Texas to experience Robotaxi firsthand.


After spending the week in Austin and experiencing Robotaxi firsthand, we came away truly impressed. Tesla did it, they cracked full self-driving with a vision-only system. From our very first ride we noticed how the autonomous driving system was confident, yet not risky. It performed at a high-level and even out performed Waymo in several instances when we tested both autonomous driving systems side by side in a variety of real-world scenarios.


Over dozens of fully autonomous rides, Robotaxi navigated city streets, handled tricky parking situations, and adapted seamlessly without a single intervention. The experience exceeded our expectations, and further validated that Tesla’s vision-only approach is not just a technical milestone, but it is the future of autonomy.


Episode Chapters

0:00 Robotaxi Special Edition1:29 First Robotaxi Ride and Our Impressions7:47 Robotaxi Learnings11:33 Expanding Austin ODD14:46 Robotaxi, Waymo on Uber20:44 Grocery Stores25:24 Austin, Safety Attendants, & Maintenance29:53 Blending In


Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™.


The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what’s coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.


Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/


LightShed Partners is a leading independent research firm focused on the convergence of technology, media, and telecommunications. Known for its forward-thinking insights, LightShed Partners provides in-depth analysis on trends, disruptions, and innovations shaping these industries, offering clients data-driven research to inform investment decisions.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for research here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The LightShed Podcast, released every Friday, delivers cutting-edge insights into the world of technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT), focusing on key trends and disruptions shaping the future of these industries. Each episode explores topics like streaming services, social media, digital transformation, and the future of entertainment technology.

Closely followed by key decision-makers in the TMT industries, this podcast provides actionable analysis for investors, industry professionals, and tech enthusiasts. Subscribe to the LightShed Podcast for expert commentary on market trends, investment opportunities, and insights driving the TMT sector forward. For access to this paywalled podcast email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠team@lightshedtmt.com⁠⁠

Jaksot(75)

Waymo’s Missing Tier, Uber and Lyft Keep Rides Moving and Hyundai’s Robotaxi Push

Waymo’s Missing Tier, Uber and Lyft Keep Rides Moving and Hyundai’s Robotaxi Push

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discus Waymo's launch in Austin, Alphabet's strong commitment to Waymo and Hyundai's robotaxi ambitions. On March 5, Waymo launched excl...

8 Maalis 202538min

Waymo Needs Fewer Robotaxis Than You Think and Tesla’s California Dreams

Waymo Needs Fewer Robotaxis Than You Think and Tesla’s California Dreams

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss why Waymo needs fewer robotaxis than you think and Tesla’s emerging plans for a robotaxi network in California.Waymo continues t...

1 Maalis 202537min

Lyft’s Autonomous Vehicle Manifesto, LiDAR’s Potential Big Winners, Personally-Owned Autonomous Vehicle Fleets

Lyft’s Autonomous Vehicle Manifesto, LiDAR’s Potential Big Winners, Personally-Owned Autonomous Vehicle Fleets

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Lyft’s autonomous vehicle manifesto, the impending consolidation of the LiDAR market, the emerging personally-owned autonomous v...

22 Helmi 202549min

Uber’s Autonomy Push, Hesai’s Make-or-Break Moment, NVIDIA’s Big Plans

Uber’s Autonomy Push, Hesai’s Make-or-Break Moment, NVIDIA’s Big Plans

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Walt’s recent trip to San Francisco, where he observed more aggressive driving from Waymo vehicles and spotted a FasTrak transpo...

16 Helmi 202543min

Uber’s Autonomous Vehicle Keys to Success, Waymo’s Big Moves and Detroit’s Pivot to Licensing

Uber’s Autonomous Vehicle Keys to Success, Waymo’s Big Moves and Detroit’s Pivot to Licensing

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk break down Uber’s Q4 earnings, highlighting their five keys for success in autonomy: regulation, superhuman safety, cost-effective hardw...

8 Helmi 202551min

Tesla Earnings, Waymo’s Announcements and Kodiak’s Historical Milestone

Tesla Earnings, Waymo’s Announcements and Kodiak’s Historical Milestone

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discussed Tesla’s Q4 earnings, Waymo’s road trip and Kodiak’s historical announcement. It was Tesla this week that captured investors at...

1 Helmi 202546min

Trump, Elon, Teamsters, and The Race for Autonomy: Who’s Steering the Future?

Trump, Elon, Teamsters, and The Race for Autonomy: Who’s Steering the Future?

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk explored the potential impacts of President Trump's administration on the autonomous vehicle and truck industries. With tensions brewing...

25 Tammi 202542min

Autonomy Markets Goes To DC, What to Expect from Trump and Solutions for the China Problem

Autonomy Markets Goes To DC, What to Expect from Trump and Solutions for the China Problem

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk headed to Washington, D.C. where they attended an event held by The Council for Economic Resilience that focused on the future of autono...

19 Tammi 202541min