Waymo CEO John Krafcik, left, sits with Steve Mahan, who is blind, inside a driverless car during a Google event. Photo: Eric Risberg / AP
Alphabet's autonomous car company, Waymo, plans to announce later today that "its first commercial product will be a driverless taxi service" in Phoenix, according to Ars Technica.
Why it matters: Car companies like Volvo, BMW, Tesla, and more have been racing to be the first provider of fully autonomous vehicles. Google decided that instead of selling autonomous vehicles, it would "build a taxi service" designed to be driverless. The service will initially navigate only a part of Phoenix's metropolitan area, per Ars Technica, and eventually expand elsewhere. Waymo chose Phoenix because of its frequent warm and sunny weather which is easier for autonomous cars to navigate