Waymo Reportedly Aims to Quintuple Fleet to 20,000 Cars by End of 2027

Waymo plans to double its autonomous vehicle fleet from 4,000 cars to 8,000 by the end of 2026 and reach 20,000 vehicles by the end of 2027, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Semafor. The expansion is funded by $5B that Waymo recently borrowed from private credit lenders in its first-ever debt raise, which was secured without financial guarantees from parent company Alphabet $GOOGL. The debt structure allows Waymo to raise additional capital in the future by securitizing vehicle leases against its growing fleet. Waymo currently operates in 15 US cities, is expanding into international markets such as Toronto, and recently opened a Nashville depot with Lyft $LYFT to handle charging, cleaning, and maintenance. To supply the fleet buildout, Waymo has reportedly ordered thousands of vehicles from China, including rebranded models manufactured by Geely Holding Group unit Zeekr.