Waymo Challenges Tesla’s Vision-Only Autonomous Driving Approach
Waymo's vice president of onboard software, Srikanth Thirumalai, has publicly rejected Tesla's cameras-only strategy for autonomous vehicles, advocating instead for higher safety standards. Thirumalai emphasized that the benchmark for self-driving technology must surpass human driving capabilities, countering Tesla AI chief Ashok Elluswamy's argument that autonomous cars should rely solely on cameras, mimicking human navigation.
The debate centers on hardware complexity and cost. Tesla's approach uses fewer than 10 cameras and leverages AI trained on vast driving data, while Waymo's current robotaxis employ 29 cameras, five lidars, and six radars. Even Waymo's next-gen system, due by late 2026, retains lidar with a reduced but still multi-sensor setup. Thirumalai acknowledges the cost-scaling challenge but insists lidar remains critical for safety—a metric he admits the industry still struggles to define.
