Waymo in Miami: Limited Cars, Limited Infrastructure, Limited Service Area
January 25, 2026
This Week in The Autonomy Economy is presented by Koop, a specialist insurance provider focused on robotics and autonomous vehicles.
This Week in the Autonomy Economy, Waymo launched limited commercial service in Miami, David Moss is in Austin hunting for his mechanical white whale, and the UAE continues to emerge as a global hotbed of autonomous vehicle activity.
The surge in autonomous vehicle activity across the UAE is a direct response to the Emirates’ booming tourism demand, which is growing at a pace of 6% to 9% annually. To put this into perspective, Dubai alone is welcoming 1.5 million new tourists every single year, roughly adding the entire population of Philadelphia to its streets annually.
What makes this opportunity unique is that a majority of the 19 million tourists visiting Dubai flock to the same five locations: Burj Khalifa, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina, Burj Al Arab, and Global Village. Why is this relevant? It makes launching and operating a robotaxi service incredibly efficient because the demand is highly predictable.
Staging vehicles and opening micro-depots to service these specific corridors becomes a solvable logistics puzzle. Furthermore, for a visitor in Dubai, the journey is the experience. What better way to travel between luxury destinations than in a robotaxi?
Next door in Abu Dhabi, visits to cultural sites surged in 2025, with the Louvre Abu Dhabi being the primary driver of that demand. Crucially, these sites are not clustered together, requiring transportation to and from each location. Case in point, if you want the thrill of speed at Ferrari World followed by cultural immersion at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, you face a 15.5-mile journey, a route perfectly situated for robotaxis.
Build it and they will come appears to be the UAE’s strategy. First, they built the infrastructure; next, the entertainment; and now, the autonomous transportation network to connect it all.
When this ecosystem is complete, and if tourism dollars increase because of it, expect other global cities to stop viewing robotaxis in a negative light and and start viewing them as tourism multipliers that are good for their economies.
Additionally, the first 2026 quarterly update of the AUTONOMY LEADERBOARD was released this week. The only change this quarter is that Nuro was upgraded to T-1 in a tie with Wayve in the licensing category. The next quarterly update is scheduled for Sunday, April 26, 2026.
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Why is Waymo’s commercial launch in Miami “limited”?
Waymo officially launched commercial service in Miami, but the rollout is currently restricted in scope. The operation is serving a 60-square-mile area that notably excludes key destinations like the beaches and the airport. This limitation appears to be due to infrastructure readiness; permit filings reveal that Waymo’s main depot near the airport is still under construction and likely won’t be fully operational until March. Currently, the site has only 62 spaces to house and charge its Jaguar I-PACE fleet, raising questions about its immediate ability to scale.
How is tourism driving the autonomous vehicle boom in the UAE?
The United Arab Emirates is aggressively adopting autonomous vehicles (AVs) to meet surging tourism demand, which is growing at 6% to 9% annually. In Dubai, the majority of the 19 million annual visitors flock to the same five locations (e.g., Burj Khalifa, Palm Jumeirah), creating highly predictable routes that are efficient for robotaxis to service. Similarly, in Abu Dhabi, distant cultural hubs like the Louvre and Ferrari World (15.5 miles apart) create an ideal use case for robotaxis to connect dispersed attractions.
What new hardware feature was discovered on Tesla’s Robotaxis in Austin?
David Moss, currently “hunting his mechanical white whale” (a safety-attendant-out Tesla) in Austin, uncovered a significant technical update. While he hasn’t caught a ride yet, he verified that the driverless units feature custom washers on the side and rear cameras. This cleaning system complements the existing front-camera cleaner on the Model Y, addressing a critical need for sensor visibility in fully autonomous operations.
What changed in the Q1 2026 AUTONOMY LEADERBOARD update?
The first quarterly update of 2026 saw a single but significant shift in the rankings. Nuro was upgraded to T-1 in the licensing category, moving into a tie with Wayve. No other changes were reported; the next update is scheduled for April 26, 2026.
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What’s Moving the Markets
Waymo in Miami: Limited Cars, Limited Infrastructure, Limited Service Area
We put on our Inspector Clouseau hats and got to work this week to uncover what Waymo is really up to in Miami and why the launch this week felt so limited. As the old saying goes, the devil is in the details, and that could not be more true in this case.
Based on the permit filings we uncovered, it appears the Waymo depot in Miami is not actually complete. It remains under construction, suggesting that while the soft launch is here, a full commercial depot launch is likely planned for March once the facility is finalized.
We examined the filings for the 22,000-square-foot facility on 1.8 acres near the Miami Airport. The permits confirm that Moove US, the lessee of the property is upgrading the site to handle electric vehicle charging, vacuuming, cleaning, tire replacement, wheel alignment, and software/sensor diagnostics.
The plans reveal 62 secure spaces to house and charge the Jaguar I-PACE fleet. Raising the critical question, is 62 spaces enough to scale a robust robotaxi operation in Miami?
Or will this depot be just one of many in Miami-Dade? We ask because the current service is limited to a 60-square-mile area that notably excludes the beaches and the airport, for now.
Over time, could the depot we uncovered act primarily as a West Miami/Airport hub? It seems likely that other depots will need to emerge in Miami Gardens to serve Dolphins games and events at Hard Rock, followed by another strategically placed depot in South Beach.
Or, perhaps we could see the emergence of micro-depots to support charging and limited servicing in key neighborhoods such as Wynwood and Coconut Grove? After all, Coconut Grove has a certain new neighbor who might have a say or two about things.
Anything is possible, but from what we have uncovered wearing our Inspector Clouseau hats, Waymo is clearly not ready for prime-time in Miami just yet. When you factor in the growing traffic, the incomplete infrastructure, and a limited service area, it appears that Waymo is starting with a much smaller fleet in Miami compared to other cities.
Over time, the fleet will grow, the infrastructure will become robust, and the map will expand. But for now? This is just Day One and Waymo is clearly not ready for prime-time in Miami.
Our Take: As we have repeatedly said on Autonomy Markets, relying on third-party partners has its limits. Waymo needs to take a hard look at launching Waymo Logistics internally, especially now that their scaling ambitions are outpacing their infrastructure.
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Piquing Our Interest
Tesla to Raise FSD Prices In a post on X, Elon Musk said that FSD (Supervised) pricing will rise as the system’s capabilities improve
Drive with FSD, Pay Less, Thanks Lemonade Digital insurance company Lemonade introduced a new plan this week where rates are 50% lower than traditional car insurance when FSD is engaged.
Serve Robotics Acquires Diligent Robotics In a transaction valued at $29 million, Serve Robotics acquired Diligent Robotics, expanding into the healthcare industry.
Zipline is now Valued at $7.6 Billion Autonomous drone delivery startup Zipline is now valued at $7.6 billion after raising a $600 million round, from investors including, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Baillie Gifford, Valor Equity Partners, and Tiger Global.
Autonomous Driving Bills Moves Forward in Missouri Missouri is moving autonomously in the right direction, as two identical bills to legalize fully autonomous vehicles in the state moved forward in a 7-4 vote along partisan lines.
Ras Al Khaimah (UAE) Enacts Autonomous Driving Law Ras Al Khaimah has enacted a new law establishing a comprehensive legal framework for autonomous vehicles, designating the RAK Transport Authority (RAKTA) to oversee safety standards, data protection, and the licensing of autonomous vehicle operations in the emirate.
Geely is Planning to Launch and Deploy 100,000 Robotaxis in China Geely, in partnership with Qianli Technology, Cao Cao Mobility, Aerofugia, and Geespace, is planning to launch 100,000 methanol-hydrogen electric robotaxis in China by 2030.”
South Korea Chooses Gwangju for Autonomous Vehicle Test Region The South Korean government has selected Gwangju Metropolitan City as a national hub for testing autonomous vehicles.
📰 Before these stories were featured here, they were available on X. Follow @RoadToAutonomy today to stay up-to-date on the latest news and developments shaping the autonomy economy.
Social Buzz
Robotaxi Can See Clearly Now
David Moss (@DavidMoss) headed to Austin with a specific mission—find the elusive safety-attendant-out Tesla Robotaxi. As of publishing, Mr. Moss is 38 attempts in with no luck yet. However, he has successfully verified that Tesla has deployed a very small number of these vehicles within a limited service area in Austin.
As his journey unfolds in real-time on X, Mr. Moss is channeling his inner Captain Ahab. But instead of commanding the Pequod, he’s navigating the Robotaxi app in search of his mechanical white whale.
Despite the elusive mechanical white whale, Mr. Moss has uncovered a key technical detail, safety-attendant-out Robotaxi cameras are not stock. In fact, he found that they feature custom washers to clean the cameras. The side and rear cameras now feature cleaning systems, complementing the Model Y’s existing front-camera cleaner.
Side Camera Close Up
Back Camera Close Up
Our take: It’s only a matter of time until Mr. Moss finds his mechanical white whale.
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January 20, 2025
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Tesla Robotaxi Underwritten and Unleashed
This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Tesla officially removing safety attendants from Robotaxis in Austin, Waymo’s commercial launch in Miami, and Serve Robotics’ strategic acquisition of Diligent Robotics.
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