Waymo to launch self-driving cars in 4 new U.S. cities ahead of public launch; key details here
Waymo is expanding its driverless taxi service to four new U.S. cities. The company announced it will soon launch operations in Denver, San Diego, Las Vegas and Tampa, FloridaAccording to Waymo’s announcement. The first batch of rides will be available only to Waymo employees. This employee-only phase is intended to test the service before it is available to everyone.
The company said it will launch it publicly after testing with employees. In Denver, Waymo expects to launch public ride-hailing services later this year, said Sandy Karp, a Waymo spokesperson. Waymo has operated driverless taxis in more than 10 cities in the United States and is currently the largest robotaxi operator in the United States.
Waymo vs. Tesla and Zoox
Alphabet owns Waymo, the self-driving car unit of Google’s parent company, CNBC reported. Waymo is trying to stay ahead of rivals Tesla and Zoox. While Waymo is expanding rapidly, the two companies are slowly entering more cities. Tesla is expanding its robotaxi service beyond Austin. The company is expanding into other areas of Texas and also plans to launch operations in Miami.
Zoox is also gearing up for a larger launch. Zoox owned by Amazon There are plans to make the robotaxi service available to select members of the public in Austin and Miami later this year. Waymo has about 4,000 robot axis In the United States as of May. The vehicles use the company’s fifth- and sixth-generation autonomous driving technology, according to U.S. auto safety filings.
New Ojai robot taxi
Denver commuters will be the first to get a new robotaxi called Ojai. The Ojai is based on an electric car made by Chinese automaker Geely. According to TechCrunch, the car uses Waymo’s own software and self-driving technology.
Waymo and Geely to cooperate in 2021. Denver was chosen because it helps Waymo conduct testing in colder weather. The city’s snow conditions are very useful for improving autonomous driving technology. The new Ojai robotaxi is designed for snow and inclement weather. According to the Colorado Sun, it uses Waymo’s sixth-generation autonomous driving system.
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Waymo safety and testing
Waymo said it spent months preparing for the Denver launch. That includes mapping roads, training driving systems, building local teams and talking to community members, Waymo spokesperson Sandy Karp said via The Colorado Sun. The driverless rides will initially cover the communities of RiNo, Baker and Cherry Creek.
Waymo also hopes to add Denver International Airport in the future. Waymo says its vehicles have driven more than 220 million miles without a human driver. The company says its technology has reduced crashes by 94% compared with human drivers. This estimate is based on cities where Waymo already operates.
Self-driving cars still face safety challenges. Some Waymo vehicles accidentally drove onto flooded roads during extreme weather. Some robotaxis also ran into problems during San Francisco’s Fourth of July celebrations. According to CNBC, several cars were stuck in traffic until their batteries ran out, while another drove towards the fireworks.
Waymo’s future plans
government Data shows self-driving car crashes are being closely monitored. Records from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that in the first four months of this year, autonomous driving systems were involved in an average of about 120 accidents per month, compared with 85 in the same period last year. Colorado reported three crashes involving self-driving systems this year. The numbers come from data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, The Colorado Sun reported.
Waymo raised $16 billion in funding earlier this year. The investment follows a February investment from Alphabet and other backers. The company is also preparing for its first international launch. Waymo plans to start driverless services in London later this year. Waymo says it has completed more than 20 million self-driving trips. The company’s current goal is to achieve 1 million driverless trips per week by the end of this year.
