This Week in The Autonomy Economy, presented by Koop Insurance, Tesla reported 67% year-over-year growth in FSD Supervised subscriptions, Hertz secured financing from Steve Cohen’s family office to fuel its robotaxi fleet management efforts, and we were once again on the road.
As temperatures cool across the north, our field reporting is heating up. Nearly every week from now through year-end, we will be on the road gathering ground-truth intelligence on what is really happening and delivering it directly to you. As always, OMEGA subscribers get all the underlying operational details, including car counts, energy usage, utility providers, and depot infrastructure buildouts.
One of our highlights this week was testing Waymo at Nashville International Airport. Waymo secured a prime pickup position and we timed the walk from the terminal doors to the car at 2 minutes and 20 seconds, with a wait time of just 6 minutes.
Experiencing Waymo at an airport firsthand makes the writing on the wall that much clearer on just how rapidly the traditional rideshare market at airports around the world with a robotaxi option will erode.
With our team in the field all week, this edition is dedicated to our four latest field reports. In Houston, we visited the historic Rothko Chapel to produce our first-ever Cultural Field Report.
In Las Vegas, Special Field Correspondent David Moss tested Zoox at the airport, while Grayson Brulte kept with the airport theme by testing Waymo curbside operations at San Antonio International Airport.
Across the Atlantic in Paris, Special Field Correspondent Spencer evaluated XPENG’s Next Generation Pilot (NGP) hardware and software.
When you are on the road experiencing the technology firsthand, you learn what the headlines often miss. Next week we will be releasing several new field reports from Austin, Nashville, and Los Angeles.
If you are interested in becoming a subscriber, please send an email to alpha [at] autnmy.ai.
📰 Need to Know: This Week in the Autonomy Economy
What is driving Tesla’s latest milestone in autonomous software adoption?
Tesla reported a 67% year-over-year increase in active FSD Supervised subscriptions, reaching 1.75 million active subscribers in Q3 2026. This underscores accelerating consumer adoption of supervised autonomy as Tesla scales its software-driven revenue model.
How is Hertz expanding into robotaxi fleet management?
Hertz-backed Oro Mobility secured an $80 million investment led by Steve Cohen’s family office. The capital will fund its fleet-management platform, which supports both human rideshare drivers and emerging commercial robotaxi networks.
What are Waymo’s mid-term scaling and international expansion targets?
Waymo is preparing to quintuple its fleet from 4,000 to 20,000 vehicles by late 2027. Internationally, corporate filings for Waymo Iberia SL confirm preparations to introduce unsupervised commercial operations in Madrid, alongside growing global footprints from competitors in Paris, London, and Astana.
How is Rivian expanding customer access to its automated driving platform?
Rivian launched an invite-only early access program targeting eligible Gen 2 R1 and R2 owners who hold active Autonomy+ subscriptions. Available initially in California and Florida, the initiative allows drivers to test and validate upcoming hands-free capabilities before a broader commercial rollout in 2027.
What international partnerships are forming to launch Level 4 robotaxi trials?
A coalition comprising inDrive, Pony.ai, and NVIDIA is teaming up to launch supervised Level 4 trials in Astana, Kazakhstan, by early 2027, taking advantage of local regulatory frameworks to test autonomous capabilities in sub-zero winter environments. Concurrently, Wayve, Stellantis, and NVIDIA are collaborating with the French government to accelerate autonomous passenger vehicle deployments across France and the broader European market.
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Rothko Chapel Field Report
While conducting field work in Houston, Grayson Brulte took a Waymo to the historic Rothko Chapel and its surrounding cultural landmarks. This is the Field Report.
Zoox Las Vegas Airport Field Report
In Las Vegas, Special Field Correspondent David Moss evaluated Zoox’s robotaxi service during a round-trip test ride between Resorts World and Harry Reid International Airport. The evaluation covered both outbound and return legs, observing vehicle behavior, route selection, and passenger interactions. This is the Field Report.
XPENG Next Generation Pilot (NGP) Field Report
At the 2026 Paris Motor Show, Special Field Correspondent Spencer evaluated XPENG’s Next Generation Pilot (NGP) powered by VLA 2.0 during a live test ride on the streets of Paris. Our test covered a roughly 30-minute urban driving loop accompanied by an XPENG safety driver. This is the Field Report.
Waymo San Antonio International Airport Field Report
Grayson Brulte took a Waymo to San Antonio International Airport for a curbside drop off, then evaluated the airport pickup and rode from the airport to The Alamo. Our test covered the full journey, from approaching the terminal to curbside drop off, the pickup at the outer curb and the ride downtown. This is the Field Report.
Piquing Our Interest
Waymo Plans to Quintuple Its Autonomous Fleet to 20,000 Vehicles by End of 2027 According to Semafor, Waymo is planning to rapidly expand its robotaxi fleet from 4,000 to 20,000 vehicles by late 2027
Waymo Opens Las Vegas Airport Service Early riders in Las Vegas, can now ride Waymo to and from the LAS airport. In a few weeks, we will be releasing a Las Vegas Waymo Field Report.
Hertz-Backed Oro Mobility Secures $80 Million in Investment Oro Mobility secured an $80 million investment led by Steve Cohen’s family office to scale its fleet-management business for rideshare drivers and robotaxi networks.
Tesla FSD Supervised Adoption Continues to Grow Tesla reported that active FSD Supervised subscriptions rose to 1.75 million in Q3 2026.
Rivian Launches Invite-Only Autonomy Early Access Program Rivian has opened an invite-only early access program for eligible Gen 2 R1 and R2 owners with active Autonomy+ subscriptions, starting in California and Florida, to test and validate upcoming hands-free features ahead of a wider commercial rollout in 2027.
Kodiak Sets Record With 64 Consecutive Days of Continuous Uptime Aunsupervised Kodiak autonomous truck operating in the Permian Basin ran continuously for a record 64 days without powering down or restarting.
Carrier Adoption of Driver-as-a-Service Remains Years Away Brett Suma, COO of Bot Auto cautions that carrier adoption under the Driver-as-a-Service model remains years away, pointing to unready OEM ecosystems, hidden infrastructure costs, and persistent shipper conservatism.
Wayve, Stellantis, and NVIDIA to Deploy Robotaxis in France Wayve, Stellantis, and NVIDIA are working with the French Government in hopes of deploying autonomous vehicles in France over the coming years.
inDrive, NVIDIA, and Pony.ai Partner to Deploy Robotaxis in Kazakhstan inDrive is partnering with Pony.ai and Nvidia to launch supervised robotaxi trials in Astana by early 2027, leveraging Kazakhstan’s new regulatory framework to stress-test Level 4 vehicles in sub-zero winter conditions.
Neolix Raises Nearly $400 Million to Accelerate Global Growth Chinese autonomous delivery firm Neolix closed a nearly $400 million Series E funding round, the largest single deal in China’s autonomous driving sector this year as the company accelerates it’s global growth.
Baidu Apollo Ramps up Testing in London As Baidu ramps up testing in London with Freenow, the company is aiming to launch unsupervised commercial operations in 2027.
📰 Follow @RoadToAutonomy on X for our latest thoughts and insights on the autonomy economy.
Trending on X
Waymo is Expanding to Madrid
¡Hola, Region of Madrid! 🇪🇸 We’re thrilled to announce that we’re coming to Spain, beginning with Madrid. This will be our first region in Spain and second in the European Union. We plan to launch fully autonomous ride-hailing in Madrid in 2027.
110 days before Waymo officially announced plans to launch an unsupervised commercial service in Madrid, AUTNMY AI’s OMEGA uncovered a corporate filing in Spain, Waymo Iberia SL signaling that a new Spanish market could be coming online.
We made the signal public on our X account, while OMEGA subscribers received the details behind the alert and continue to get emerging signals every single day. If you are interested in becoming an OMEGA subscriber, please send a note to alpha[at]autnmy.ai.
Our take: Autonomy is going global and we are tracking it in real time before the market notices and the media prints headlines.
Scaling Robotics and Autonomous Vehicles with Arm
Dermot O’Driscoll, Vice President GTM and Customer Solutions, Physical AI, Arm, joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss scaling Physical AI across the automotive and robotics markets.
Waymo Scales, Neolix Goes Global, GM Bets Big on 2028
This week on Autonomy Signals presented by KPMG, Grayson Brulte and Rob Grant discuss Waymo scaling its robotaxi fleet fivefold, Neolix closing the largest autonomous driving funding round in China this year, and GM betting big on personally owned autonomous vehicles.
Waymo Is Accelerating Robotaxi Deployments. Who’s Trying to Stop It?
This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss field reports from Nashville, Dallas and Houston, takeaways from Tesla’s earnings call, Waymo’s accelerating fleet growth, a mysterious effort to stop robotaxis in Washington, D.C.
