Waymo Reportedly Plans 20,000-Car Robotaxi Fleet

Waymo plans to grow its driverless fleet roughly fivefold over the next 14 months, Semafor reported on 19 October 2026, citing people familiar with the matter. “The company, which currently has 4,000 cars, is looking to bring its total number to 8,000 by the end of the year and grow to 20,000 by the end of next year,” Semafor wrote.

Waymo declined to comment to Semafor, so the targets have not been confirmed by the company. If they hold, the plan would mark a sharp acceleration for Alphabet’s self-driving unit. According to Semafor, Waymo plans to use “the $5 billion it recently borrowed to massively increase its fleet”, turning its first debt deal into cars on the road.

In brief

Waymo aims to double its fleet from 4,000 to 8,000 vehicles by the end of 2026 and reach 20,000 by the end of 2027, Semafor reports, citing people familiar with the matter.
Semafor says the expansion would be funded by the $5 billion term loan Waymo closed this month; Waymo declined to comment.
Waymo has already ordered thousands of cars from China, the New York Post reported, according to Semafor.

What Semafor reported

Semafor’s report, by business and finance reporter Ellen DiMauro, frames the fleet build-out as the next step in Waymo’s expansion into new cities. Waymo, which Semafor says “operates in 15 US cities”, is also bringing rides to places such as Toronto.

The numbers imply a doubling in little more than two months, and a further two-and-a-half-fold increase during 2027. Semafor did not say how the cars would be split between existing and new markets, or which vehicle models would make up the bulk of the fleet. Those details are not in the report.

Waymo did not comment on the targets. Semafor noted, however, that the company said in a statement on its website that it raised the loan funds “to grow internationally and in the US.”

Where the cars could come from

Supply will be one test of the plan. “Waymo has already ordered thousands of cars from China, to help expand its fleet, the New York Post reported,” according to Semafor. TSN has not checked that claim with Waymo. Semafor added that Waymo has rebranded versions of a vehicle made by Zeekr, a unit of China’s Geely Holding Group.

Servicing a fleet that size will also need depots. Semafor pointed to a facility Waymo recently opened in Nashville with Lyft to charge, clean and maintain cars. As TSN reported, EV Magazine described that 80,000-square-foot depot as designed for hundreds of autonomous vehicles.

The money behind the plan

Waymo closed a $5 billion term loan on 8 October, its first debt financing, with PIMCO, Blackstone and Sixth Street as lead lenders, according to its own blog post. The company called the loan “an important step in our evolution into a scaling commercial enterprise”, adding to a $16 billion equity investment earlier this year.

Semafor reported that the debt came without guarantees from Alphabet and was borrowed from private credit lenders. It added that the deal allows Waymo to borrow more in future by securitising leases on its fleet. In other words, the cars themselves could become collateral for further funding, which would help finance growth on this scale.

A busy month of expansion

The reported fleet plan follows a run of Waymo announcements this month. On 14 October it opened driverless rides to anyone in San Antonio, San Diego and Tampa, including San Antonio’s airport. A day earlier, it began rides to and from Nashville’s airport. On 16 October it said it was heading to Toronto, its first Canadian city, with the goal of carrying its first riders there in 2028.

Each new city needs mapping, testing and enough vehicles to keep waiting times short. A fleet of 20,000 would give Waymo room to deepen service in existing markets while launching new ones, if the reported targets prove accurate.

Our read

Semafor’s figures fit the direction Waymo has signalled: fresh debt, a stated aim to grow at home and abroad, and new cities almost weekly. But the 8,000 and 20,000 targets come from unnamed sources, and Waymo has not confirmed them. The real constraints are vehicle supply, depot capacity and city-by-city approvals, so watch for confirmed vehicle orders and new service areas as the clearest evidence of whether the plan is on track.