Waymo speeds across America
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Waymo is accelerating its rollout of robotaxis and we are on its list.
Why it matters: 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.
Driving the news: Waymo started testing its driverless cars, but with drivers, here in January, with the goal of launching sometime this year.
Yes, but: There has been some opposition. The MTS board voted in January to ask the state government for local control of whether autonomous vehicles are allowed.
- It also sent letters of protest to the California Public Utilities Commission and California Department of Motor Vehicles and asked to ban Waymos at our airport.
- A state lawmaker also introduced a bill requiring extra protections.
Zoom out: Waymo added four new cities in Texas and Florida last month as self-driving technology begins to penetrate mainstream America.
- 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.