Driverless taxis are now a daily reality in several American cities, and three very different companies are racing to lead the market: Waymo, Tesla and Uber. This lesson compares their strategies, explains the big technical debate between lidar and cameras, and gets students talking about trust, technology and the future of jobs. This B2 version looks at the three business strategies, the lidar vs camera debate and the wider consequences of driverless transport.
Level: B2 · Time: 45 to 90 minutes. Pick the activities that suit your class. They work in almost any order.
Lesson Activities
- Warmer: What’s Missing? – Reveal the picture tile by tile. Where is this? What can students see? What is missing? (It’s the inside of Tesla’s Cybercab, which has no steering wheel and no pedals.)
- Prediction: Waymo, Tesla or Uber? – Students sort 15 facts into the three companies (lidar or cameras only, no steering wheel, the app for every robotaxi…), then check after reading.
- Vocabulary: Pre-teach the Key Words – Match 10 words and phrases from the article to their meanings before reading (dominate, challenger, track record, backup, fool, consequences…).
- Reading: The Robotaxi Race, Three Roads to a Driverless Future – An article with 12 gaps. Choose without a word bank or with a word bank for extra support.
- Discussion: The Robotaxi Race – 12 discussion questions on who will win, lidar vs cameras, responsibility for accidents, jobs and cities.
- Speaking: Ranking – What would make you trust a robotaxi? Students rank nine options, from a good safety record and lidar sensors to a steering wheel someone could use, then compare with a partner.
Teacher Tips
- For a shorter lesson, use the warmer, the reading and the discussion cards.
- Language focus: look at the language for presenting both sides of an argument (supporters argue that, critics reply that, while, if Tesla is right…). Students use it in a short lidar vs cameras debate.
- Business English classes: compare the three strategies (technology leader, low-cost challenger, platform) with companies in the students’ own industry.
- Follow-up: a debate or role play. Should robotaxis be allowed in your city? Roles: a taxi driver, a robotaxi company, a city mayor and a passenger.
Teaching a lower-level group? Try the B1 version of this lesson.