On self-driving, Waymo is playing chess while Tesla plays checkers

Published

12 months ago

May 23, 2024

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Waymo vs. Tesla — On self-driving, Waymo is playing chess while Tesla plays checkers We’ll know Tesla is serious about robotaxis when it starts hiring remote operators.

Timothy B. Lee – May 22, 2024 11:00 am UTC Enlarge / A Waymo autonomous taxi in San Francisco.David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images reader comments 365

Tesla fansand CEO Elon Musk himselfare excited about the prospects for Teslas Full Self Driving (FSD) software. Tesla released a major upgradeversion 12.3of the software in March. Then, last month, Musk announced that Tesla would unveil a purpose-built robotaxi on August 8. Last week, Musk announced that a new version of FSD12.4will come out in the coming days and will have a 5X to 10X improvement in miles per intervention.

But I think fans expecting Tesla to launch a driverless taxi service in the near future will be disappointed.

During a late March trip to San Francisco, I had a chance to try the latest self-driving technology from both Tesla and Googles Waymo.

During a 45-minute test drive in a Tesla Model X, I had to intervene twice to correct mistakes by the FSD software. In contrast, I rode in driverless Waymo vehicles for more than two hours and didnt notice a single mistake.

So while Teslas FSD version 12.3 seems like a significant improvement over previous versions of FSD, it still lags behind Waymos technology.

However, Waymos impressive performance comes with an asterisk. While no one was behind the wheel during my rides, Waymo has remote operators that sometimes provide guidance to its vehicles (Waymo declined to tell me whetheror how oftenremote operators intervened during my rides). And while Teslas FSD works on all road types, Waymos taxis avoid freeways.

Many Tesla fans see these limitations as signs that Waymo is headed for a technological dead end. They see Teslas FSD, with its capacity to operate in all cities and on all road types, as a more general technology that will soon surpass Waymo. Advertisement

But this fundamentally misunderstands the situation.

Safely operating driverless vehicles on public roads ishard. With no one in the drivers seat, a single mistake can be deadlyespecially at freeway speeds. So Waymo launched its driverless service in 2020 in the easiest environment it could findresidential streets in the Phoenix suburbsand has been gradually ratcheting up the difficulty level as it gains confidence in its technology.

In contrast, Tesla hasnt started driverless testing because its software isnt ready. For now, geographic restrictions and remote assistance arent needed because theres always a human being behind the wheel. But I predict that when Tesla begins its driverless transition, it will realize that safety requires a Waymo-style incremental rollout.

So Tesla hasnt found a different, better way to bring driverless technology to market. Waymo is just so far ahead that its dealing with challenges Tesla hasnt even started thinking about. Waymo is playing chess while Tesla is still playing checkers. Tesla is several years behind Waymo

The current excitement around Teslas FSD reminds me of the hype that surrounded Waymo in 2018. Early that year, Waymo announced deals to purchase20,000 I-Pace sedansfrom Jaguar and62,000 Pacifica minivansfrom Fiat Chrysler.

But the service Waymolaunched in December 2018 was a disappointment. There were still safety drivers behind the wheel on most rides, and access was limited to a handpicked group of passengers.

It wasnt until October 2020 that Waymo finallylaunched a fully driverless taxi servicein the Phoenix area that was open to the general public. And even after that, Waymo expanded slowly.

Waymo began offering commercial service in San Francisco in 2023 and is now expanding to Los Angeles and Austin. Today, the company has only a few hundred vehicles in its commercial fleetfar fewer than the 82,000 vehicles it was planning to purchase six years ago.

What went wrong? In anAugust 2018 article, journalist Amir Efrati reported on the limitations of Waymos technology. Efrati wrote that Waymo vans have trouble with many unprotected left turns and with merging into heavy traffic in the Phoenix area. In addition, the cars have trouble separating people, or cyclists, who are in groups, especially people near shopping centers or in parking lots. Page: 1 2 3 4 5 Next → reader comments 365 Timothy B. Lee Timothy is a senior reporter covering tech policy and the future of transportation. He lives in Washington DC. Advertisement Channel Ars Technica ← Previous story Next story → Related Stories Today on Ars

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Twins call on RHP Matthews to keep streak going

Published

43 mins ago

May 18, 2025

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Twins call on RHP Matthews to keep streak going

ESPN News Services

May 18, 2025, 12:11 PM ET

The Minnesota Twins recalled right-hander Zebby Matthews from Triple-A St. Paul and inserted him into the rotation for their road game Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The 24-year-old Matthews closed out last season in the Twins’ rotation and fashioned a 1-4 record with a 6.69 ERA in nine starts. He has produced a 2-1 record with a 1.93 ERA in seven starts for St. Paul, which includes 38 strikeouts and nine walks over 32⅔ innings.

The Twins, who carry a 13-game winning streak into Sunday’s game, also selected the contract of outfielder Carson McCusker, a 26-year-old who has yet to make his big league debut. The 6-foot-8, 250-pound slugger is hitting .350 with 10 homers and 36 RBIs in 38 games this season for St. Paul.

The task ahead of Matthews is to try to continue a hot pitching streak that has seen the Twins record three straight shutouts, including in the first two games of the Brewers series. Minnesota enters Sunday with a collective 3.15 ERA that ranks No. 3 in the majors.

The active stretch of 33 straight shutout innings is the longest such streak in Twins history, which began in 1961. They had three longer shutout streaks when they were the Washington Senators, but the most recent of those took place in 1913.

To accommodate Matthews’ arrival, the Twins placed reliever Danny Coulombe (left forearm extensor strain) on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Thursday. Coulombe has yet to allow a run this season in 16⅔ innings.

To make room for McCusker, the Twins shifted rookie Luke Keaschall to the 60-day IL to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Keaschall fractured his right forearm April 25 against the Los Angeles Angels.

The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.

Sports

Cora to skip game to attend daughter’s graduation

Published

43 mins ago

May 18, 2025

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Cora to skip game to attend daughter's graduation

Associated Press

May 18, 2025, 12:36 PM ET

BOSTON — Red Sox manager Alex Cora will miss Monday’s series opener against the New York Mets at Fenway Park so he can attend his daughter’s college graduation.

Cora’s daughter, Camila, will be graduating from nearby Boston College.

“It’s going to be a very special day — one that I’m not going to miss,” Cora said before Sunday’s game vs. the Atlanta Braves. “I 100% will miss the game for that. I will do that any given day. It’s going to be a very special day for us.”

Cora reflected on how the time has seemed to go quickly and spoke about how fast his daughter seemed to grow up.

“It went fast, it went really fast,” Cora said of her time in college. “For a girl from divorced parents, her mom did an amazing job, staying the course while I was playing and coaching and doing my ESPN thing. … She’s actually a reflection of her. I appreciate everything she’s done for her and for us.”

Asked if he’ll be able to hold back his emotions at the ceremony, Cora smiled and said “We’ll see,” before bringing up memories of when his daughter was at the 2018 World Series victory celebration and a postseason series wrap-up win over Tampa Bay in ’21 at Fenway.

“It’s going to be an amazing day. It happened fast,” he said. “You put everything into perspective, you go back to the videos of ’18, she was a little girl.

“Then you go back to ’21 when she hopped onto the field when we beat Tampa, she was still a little girl. Now, she’s not a little girl,” he said. “She’s a woman. She had fun with it. She’s a great student and the future’s bright for her.”

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Brewers send struggling starter Myers to minors

Published

43 mins ago

May 18, 2025

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Brewers send struggling starter Myers to minors

Associated Press

May 18, 2025, 01:40 PM ET

MILWAUKEE — Brewers pitcher Tobias Myers is going back to the minors as he continues to struggle to match the success he enjoyed as a rookie last year.

The Brewers optioned Myers to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday while selecting right-handed pitcher Easton McGee from Triple-A and transferring left-handed pitcher Connor Thomas to the 60-day injured list.

Myers is 1-1 with a 4.95 ERA in six appearances, including five starts. He allowed four runs over 3 2/3 innings in a 7-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Saturday.

The right-hander had gone 9-6 with a 3.00 ERA last season and was selected the Brewers’ most valuable pitcher by the Milwaukee chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. He closed that season by pitching five scoreless innings in the decisive Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series against the New York Mets, a game the Brewers lost 4-2 by allowing four runs in the ninth.

“I love the kid, man,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after Saturday’s game. “You saw it in Game 3, that’s in there. So we’ve got to get back to that.”

The Brewers had optioned Myers to Nashville a week ago, but he didn’t actually pitch there before rejoining the big-league club after left-hander José Quintana went on the injured list with a left shoulder issue. Now he’s heading back to Nashville.

Myers entered Saturday having walked 10 batters over 16 1/3 innings. He didn’t walk anyone Saturday, but gave up a career-high 11 hits.

“My goal was to fill the zone up and kind of get away from the walks I’ve been dealing with,” Myers said after the game. “I think I just filled it up a little too much.”

McGee went 1-0 with a 3.44 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 18 1/3 innings in 13 relief appearances with Nashville.

McGee appeared in one game for Tampa Bay in 2022 and one game for Seattle in 2023.In the only two games he has pitched in the big leagues, McGee has allowed just one unearned run over 9 2/3 innings while striking out three and allowing five hits and one walk.