Waymo, a prominent player in autonomous vehicles, has announced plans to introduce commercial robotaxi services in three additional cities: San Diego, Las Vegas, and Detroit. This expansion follows Waymo’s commitment to rapidly scale its fully driverless technology to reach more customers.
The company has not specified the exact launch dates for these new services, but they are anticipated to occur next year. Currently, Waymo operates in five cities, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta, with plans to extend its services to Boston, Seattle, Denver, Miami, New York City, and Washington, DC, despite facing local resistance in some areas.
While Waymo is authorized for autonomous ride-hailing in California, the company must secure approvals in Nevada and Michigan before deploying fully driverless cars for commercial use. Obtaining a Transportation Network Company permit in Michigan and testing approvals from Nevada’s DMV and transportation authority are essential steps for Waymo to operate driverless vehicles commercially.
Waymo’s future plans involve incorporating its new Zeekr RT vehicles, manufactured by China’s Geely, alongside its existing fleet of Jaguar I-Pace SUVs. The Zeekr RT will integrate Waymo’s 6th generation technology, which is expected to improve cost efficiency for the company.
Source: The Verge