Alphabet’s Waymo is expanding its autonomous ambitions, launching test drives of its robotaxis in Denver and Seattle this week. However, these initial forays will be conducted with a human safety driver behind the wheel, the company announced on Tuesday.
“We will begin driving manually before validating our technology and operations for fully autonomous services in the future,” a Waymo spokesperson confirmed. The expansion was detailed in blog posts released by the company.
The Google-backed venture is aggressively pursuing the rollout of its driverless, ride-hailing service across the United States. Waymo already boasts commercial operations in key markets including Austin, Texas, alongside Atlanta, San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.
In a strategic move, Waymo’s autonomous vehicles in selected cities, such as Austin and Atlanta, can be hailed directly through the Uber app, streamlining the user experience. In other locations, however, users are required to use Waymo’s dedicated app, Waymo One, to book a ride.
These test vehicles hitting the streets of Denver and Seattle will be manned by Waymo employees acting as safety drivers, primed to take control if needed. Waymo is deploying a similar strategy in New York after recently securing the required permits to operate in the nation’s largest market.
The test fleet in Denver and Seattle will comprise a diverse mix of vehicles, including the fully electric Jaguar I-Pace and Geely Zeekr AVs. Initial testing will involve up to a dozen cars in each city.
Waymo faces stiff competition from Baidu-owned Apollo Go in China, which already provides driverless ride-hailing services in Asia. Tesla, meanwhile, holds a permit to operate a ride-hailing service in Texas and is actively testing a manned robotaxi service in Austin and the bustling streets of San Francisco.
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