Waymo speeds across America, including in Detroit
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Waymo is accelerating its rollout of robotaxis in the U.S., recently adding four new cities in Texas and Florida as self-driving technology begins to penetrate mainstream America.
Why it matters: In Detroit, Waymo says it is currently testing autonomously with a trained specialist at the wheel and plans to transition to fully autonomous operations later this year, though it has not said when rides will be available to the public.
The big picture: Armed with $16 billion in fresh capital from parent Alphabet and others, Waymo is quickly extending its lead over other players like Tesla and Amazon-owned Zoox, which are still mostly in testing mode.
The newest markets are Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando.
- The service will start slowly, with riders invited on a rolling basis until Waymo adds more cars to its fleet and scales up necessary operations like vehicle charging, service and maintenance.
- By later this year, it will be more widely available, Waymo says.
By the numbers: Now in 10 cities, Waymo has doubled the number of markets it serves in a matter of months.
- It's laying the groundwork for service in at least 20 cities, and is on track to provide more than one million driverless rides per week by the end of the year.
- It has about 3,000 robotaxis deployed nationwide, more than one-third of them in the San Francisco Bay area.
What we're watching: Waymo's robotaxis are adapting quickly to new markets, but basic operational challenges — such as charging and maintenance — could constrain network growth.