Waymo is pulling the plug on its ambitions to be a LIDAR supplier, with the autonomous vehicle company set to be the only customer for its homegrown sensor tech. LIDAR - or light detection and ranging - sensors have become commonplace in developing self-driving vehicles, though Waymo had hoped to push adoption of the technology in other industries.
Waymo is starting up autonomous ride-hailing in San Francisco, though don't expect to be able to summon a self-driving cab any time soon. Though the Google spin-off's Waymo One service currently offers public rides in Phoenix, AZ, its new Trusted Tester program will be a more exclusive experience.
Alphabet subsidiary Waymo has revealed a concept image showing the massive autonomous trucking hub it is building in the Dallas-Forth Worth region of Texas. In addition to the architecture, the company has also revealed some details about the planned facility, including that it will span nine acres and be able to accommodate hundreds of big trucks.
Both Waymo and Cruise have been operating in San Francisco for a while. Since they launched, both companies have been offering free rides in the area to people willing to get driven around in an autonomous taxi. However, it would appear both companies are now looking to start making money off of their autonomous fleets.
Autonomous vehicles have come a long way in the last several years, but every now and then, something pops up showing they have a way to go. A YouTuber called "JJRicks Studios" has been making videos of his rides using the Waymo autonomous taxi service in Chandler, Arizona, since it's been available. Those who don't live in areas served by the autonomous taxis can watch fully autonomous rides and rides with a safety driver behind the wheel through his videos.
Waymo's CEO is stepping down, Alphabet's autonomous car company has confirmed, with John Krafcik handing over the digital reins to the driverless vehicles to two new co-CEO instead. Dmitri Dolgov and Tekedra Mawakana - currently Waymo's COO and CTO - will both be responsible for Waymo moving forward, as the company considers how best to expand its robotaxi ride-hailing service.
Waymo is tackling the safety issue of autonomous vehicles head-on, using simulations to replay fatal crashes but replacing the human driver involved with the Alphabet company's software, to show what the Waymo Driver would've done differently. The research looked at every fatal accident recorded in Chandler, Arizona - where the Waymo One driverless car-hailing service currently operates - between 2008 and 2017.
One of the many companies working on getting autonomous automobiles on the roads in California is Waymo. The company has been testing autonomous cars in the San Francisco Bay Area since early 2009. That year, Waymo completed its first 1000 autonomous miles within the state.
Waymo is drawing a line in the sand for driverless terminology, announcing today that it will no longer refer to its vehicles as "self-driving" and arguing that the industry needs more consistency in how it refers to cars that can operate themselves. Though the language change may seem slight, the Alphabet-owned company concedes, it's actually key to making sure human drivers know just what is and isn't required from them in future vehicles.
Waymo is opening two new autonomous vehicle facilities, including a dense urban playground for its self-driving passenger cars as they refine their human-replacing technology. The Alphabet-owned company, spun out from Google's labs, currently operates a ride-hailing program in Phoenix, AZ, Waymo One, but has visions of far broader applications for driverless cars and trucks.
Waymo and Daimler Trucks are teaming up on autonomous haulage, aiming to build and sell a production self-driving truck in the US. The collaboration will see Waymo contribute the driverless tech that is powering its Waymo One autonomous ride-hailing program, which recently came out of closed beta in Phoenix, Arizona.
Waymo's driverless taxi service is opening up to the public, exiting beta in Phoenix, AZ and allowing Waymo One members to book the autonomous minivans. The Waymo Driver, as the Alphabet company describes its self-driving tech, has until now been providing rides for a small subset of Waymo One users, and Waymo has been careful to prevent those riders from talking about the experience.