Amazon is gearing up to make as 10,000 robotaxis annually at a sprawling plant near Silicon Valley as it prepares to challenge self-driving cab leader Waymo

The self-driving tech company has begun building its small, custom-designed vehicles at a new Bay Area factory ahead of its commercial ride-service launch in Las Vegas this year.

It’s still unclear when Tesla CEO Elon Musk will fulfill his years-old promise to build the world’s largest robotaxi service, which may launch soon in

Waymos will be able to take passengers to Playa del Rey, Ladera Heights, Echo Park, Silver Lake and the full stretch of Sunset Boulevard.

Waymo will expand into more areas of the San Francisco peninsula and parts of Silicon Valley, as the sole commercial robotaxi operator in the U.S. seeks to scale up operations, the Alphabet unit said on Tuesday.

Waymo has expanded its service area in two populous parts of California. The company's robotaxis have begun operating in new neighborhoods throughout San Francisco and Los Angeles.