FSD isn't just about the lack of lidar, it's the only system that can be employed everywhere, without any prior special mapping, by private owners. So far, there are no other manufacturers of vehicles available in the US who are meaningfully competing in this space.
Its the only system the manufacturer is willing to let it be employed everywhere. I bet Waymo would work better everywhere but they are safety conscious and care about liability.
> I bet Waymo would work better everywhere but they are safety conscious and care about liability.
Except you'd need to map "everywhere" in high-fidelity 3D, save it somewhere in the car, and have it accessible near-realtime. The real reason Waymo can't service "everywhere" is that their approach doesn't scale.
And don't get me wrong - it's clearly a better service where it works (at this point in time), but it'll realistically only ever work in pre-mapped cities. Which of course would remove a ton of drivers and accidents, so still a win.
