The Road to Autonomy Episode 373 | On The Road: Waymo's Big Miami Plans: Two Depots With the Ability to Scale to Thousands of Vehicles
Grayson Brulte went on location to Miami to inspect Waymo's infrastructure buildout across the city, uncovering two depots that reveal the company's ambitious plans to scale to thousands of vehicles in South Florida.
The first depot, located adjacent to Miami International Airport, has not yet broken ground but sits on a large parcel with significant room for expansion. A service road connects the site directly to the airport, without the need to use the highway, positioning Waymo for a seamless airport-to-destination corridor that could be operational within 12 to 18 months.
The second depot, already operational in the Wynwood area near the Design District, is running what we estimate to be 20-plus vehicles with roughly 30-plus chargers situated next to a Florida Power & Light substation. The facility currently operates out of PODS with no covered garage, but vacant parcels on both sides and an adjacent warehouse present a clear path to scale. While we were there on the ground, FPL was on-site micro trenching, a potential signal that additional electrical capacity is being routed to the depot.
Looking ahead, Waymo's ability to service a thousand vehicles between these two depots appears well within reach. The next frontier is the beaches, Surfside, North Beach, South Beach, where a third depot will likely be necessary to navigate Miami's notoriously heavy traffic. With Hard Rock Stadium hosting Dolphins games, F1, and the Super Bowl returning to Miami, the demand signal for robotaxis in this market is unmistakable.
Episode Chapters
0:00 Waymo's "Rat Pack" Ambitions in Miami
1:00 The Airport Depot: Bypassing the Highway
2:00 The Wynwood Depot: 35 Chargers & A Substation
3:00 Miami Depots Compared to the Santa Monica Depot
4:00 From PODS to Warehouses: The Expansion Plan
5:00 The FPL Signal: Micro-Trenching
6:00 Expanding Depots to Surfside & South Beach
7:00 The Super Bowl & Hard Rock Stadium Demand
8:00 The Future Is Bright. The Future Is Autonomous.
Watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VB2kFhkSDkE
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