Waymo plans 8,000 vehicles by year-end, 20,000 by end of 2027

On October 20, 2026, Semafor reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that Waymo, the autonomous driving subsidiary of Alphabet, plans to expand its fleet substantially. Techmeme and IT之家 both relayed the report the same day, and their accounts of the expansion timeline largely agree: Waymo currently operates 4,000 vehicles and intends to grow that number to 8,000 by the end of this year, with further growth to 20,000 to follow.

The two outlets differ on when the 20,000-vehicle target is meant to be reached. Techmeme's summary says Waymo aims to hit 20,000 by the end of 2027, while IT之家 says the company plans to reach 20,000, five times its current size, by the end of next year. Neither report explains the discrepancy, and neither includes a response from Waymo.

On funding, the reports say Waymo secured a $5 billion loan this month from lenders including PIMCO, Blackstone and Sixth Street, and that the money will be used to expand its business in the United States and overseas. IT之家 also notes that Waymo completed a $16 billion equity round earlier this year at a post-money valuation of $126 billion.

As for its footprint, Waymo currently operates in 15 U.S. cities and has announced plans to launch autonomous ride services in London, Tokyo, Singapore and Canada. The information available so far remains at the stage of media reporting; Waymo has not formally confirmed the fleet expansion targets described above.