Ford CEO Jim Farley sides with Waymo over Tesla, here’s what Elon Musk said

Tesla recently introduced its Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, a city where Waymo also operates driverless taxis, and when Ford CEO Jim Farley, asked to choose between the two companies for self-driving, he picked LiDAR as the winner.

The comparison between Waymo and Tesla is based on the technological use cases. The EV maker is fond of a vision-only system, consisting of cameras. On the other hand, the Google-owned subsidiary is employing LiDAR, Camera, and sensors altogether in its robotaxi vehicles.

The two systems create an imbalance in perspective, and the key reason is road safety. LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, is considered a core component in autonomous driving vehicles. It creates a high-resolution 3D map of the surroundings by emitting laser pulses and measuring their return time to detect objects, distance, and shapes. This tech is also favored for working in low-light scenarios and weather such as fog and rain.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has denied LiDAR’s use; instead, his autonomous vehicle approach prioritizes a vision-only model fused with AI. The company processes all of the real-time feed from cameras to make maneuvers. Industry observers believed that a camera-only stand poses safety challenges due to issues such as sun glare and occlusions. However, Tesla denies such views. Its Robotaxis in Austin are showing Tesla’s vision system in full effect, and so far, no road accidents have been recorded.

Talking about Tesla’s advancements in self-driving vehicles, the Ford CEO expressed skepticism about Robotaxi’s vision system. However, when he was asked to pick one over another, Farley chose Waymo.

“We really believe that LiDAR is mission critical,” he revealed this choice during an interview with Walter Isaacson, Musk’s biographer, at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Farley said he had a conversation with Musk on self-driving, but Ford is considering LiDAR as an important part of the self-driving picture.

Tesla CEO reacted to this news by posting a laughing emoji, indicating that he’s doesn’t agreed with his Ford counterpart on this Waymo or LiDAR.