Waymo’s self-driving cars are located in more and more cities. Here’s what you need to know

Self-driving cars are slowly becoming less and the real world is slowly becoming slower as companies like Waymo, the unmanned arm of Google’s parent company Alphabet, expand to more cities and countries.

Waymo currently operates fully autonomous vehicles in Phoenix in San Francisco in Los Angeles and Phoenix in Austin, Texas, with an all-electric Jaguar I-Pace ride. The company plans to expand its partnership with Uber by launching it in Atlanta via the Ride Share app later this year, and will begin offering rides in Washington, DC and Miami in 2026. In April, Waymo said it would start driving vehicles on the streets of Tokyo, making it the first international location.

In addition to these launches, Waymo announced in January that it will begin testing on manually driven vehicles 10 new cities This year, it will start in Las Vegas and San Diego. And last week, Waymo said that A preliminary agreement with Toyota has been reached In order to “exploring collaboration” aimed at developing autonomous driving technology, it could eventually be considered for privately owned vehicles as well.

Waymo’s expansion has also been expanded to manufacturing facilities. The company said Monday it will open a new 239,000-square-foot self-driving vehicle factory in the Phoenix area. The plan is to add 2,000 autonomous Jaguar I-Pace cars to the existing 1,500 vehicles. In particular, Waymo showed that he received it.”Final delivery from Jaguar“As we plan to repetitive future driverless rides earlier this year, Waymo added that “flexible design of the facility” will allow for future sixth generation autonomous driving technology to be integrated into new vehicles. Zeekr Rt.

Waymo was also announced in October Partnership with Hyundai Bringing next-generation technology to the IONIQ 5 SUV. Over the next few years, riders will be able to summon all these electric vehicles using the Waymo One app.

Waymo says it offers over 250,000 paid trips each week. I welcomed some rides in San Francisco, but at first (especially to see the steering wheel spinning on its own), I was quickly adjusted and quickly felt like a normal ride.

That doesn’t mean there were no pushbacks as Waymo would expand to more cities. The company’s vehicles are involved in a handful of prominent collisions. With the bike In San Francisco, there is a tow pickup truck in Phoenix. (that I’ve recalled the software and updated it To address the problem. )

in Research paper According to Waymo, published in May, its autonomous Waymo driver technology “has 85% less crashes due to suspected serious or bad injuries,” compared to human drivers that exceed 56.7 million miles. It also shows that pedestrians (92%), cyclists (82%) and motorcyclists (82%) have significantly fewer crashes due to injuries. The company has released it again Data Hub Last year, I detailed an effort to improve road safety using that technology.

As Waymo continues to expand and develop autonomous driving technology, if you are in one of the few cities currently running a fleet, here are how and where to summon Robotaxi:

See this: Test Waymo’s safe exit function with self-driving taxis

05:29

Hairstyle riding in Phoenix

Phoenix was like that First City To make the fully autonomous Waymo Rides available to the public in 2020. Waymo One App-on iOS or Android. This service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can do it too Use the Uber app Summon one of the Phoenix Waymo vehicles. If you request an Uberx, Uber Green, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric Ride, you can check the Waymo ride if it matches.

In addition to It brings about ride comfortyou may have one too Uber eats food delivered in self-driving cars. Ordering in the Phoenix area may give you a note saying, “A self-driving car may deliver your order.” When the Waymo car arrives, hold your phone and open the trunk and grab the delivery. If you want to deliver food to humans, you can opt out of this while checking out.

Calling for a ride in San Francisco

San Francisco followed and unfolded after Phoenix. A completely autonomous ride in the second half of 2022. We discarded the waiting list in June, so anyone can download the Waymo One app and ride it anytime. This service is operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Currently, there are no Uber partnerships in San Francisco.

In August, Waymo expanded its ride service to the San Francisco Peninsula, adding 10 square miles, and challenged Daly City, Broadmoor and Colma. And as it expanded again in March, there is also the option of one rider living in Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto and parts of Sunnyvale to welcome Robotaki. The company says it plans to expand to more riders over time.

Calling for a ride in Los Angeles

In November, Waymo abolished the waitlist Los Angeles We’ve started welcoming all public riders through the Waymo One app. Now, interested passengers can jump on the Robotaxis 24/7 and ride around 90 square miles of LA counties, including Santa Monica, Beverly Hills. Inglewood Downtown LA – There are plans to expand to more areas soon.

Hairstyles for a ride in Austin

In Austin, the only way to ride a Waymo is through Uber. There is no Waymo One app here. Requesting an Uberx, Uber Green, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric could potentially match your Waymo vehicle. If you don’t ride driverless, you have the option to switch to standard rides. On the other hand, if you want to increase the chances of a self-driving car, you can go to account > setting > Self-driving cars, Next, press the next toggle Get more Waymo Rides.

Unlock the door, open the trunk, and start the ride through the Uber app. Finally, you are asked to rate your ride, but not to tilt.

If there is a problem, riders can access human support 24/7 from the Uber app and inside the Waymo vehicle (screens on the front and back that allow you to quickly summon customer support).

As part of the Uber partnership, Uber will manage tasks such as vehicle cleaning and repair, and “Waymo will continue to be responsible for testing and operating WAYMO drivers, including Roadside Assistance and specific rider support features,” the company said. This collaboration should make self-driving accessible to more people. They now don’t need to download another app to hitch rides on Robotaxi.

Waymo is currently operating at 37 square miles of the city and has plans for future expansion.

A ride in Atlanta

Like Austin, Uber immediately allows Atlanta riders to evoke the Waymo Robotaxi. The service is scheduled to be released in the summer, but interested riders can join the waitlist and increase the chances of matching with the Waymo vehicle once the option is available.

To join the Atlanta interest list, make sure your uber app is up to date, and then account > setting And find it Self-driving cars Under get on Likes menu. Next, click Join the interest list.

Riders who join the interest list will have the opportunity to ride Waymo before it is published. If you choose, you will be notified in-app and via email.

According to Uber, the service will be launched in 65 square miles of Atlanta with plans for future expansion. You don’t need to pay more for Waymo rides than the standard Uberx, Uber Green, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric Ride. The app will display the prepayment price. You can unlock your vehicle and start all your trips through the Uber app, and access human support 24/7 from within the Uber app and within the vehicle.

Coming soon: Washington, DC, Miami, Tokyo

Waymo is scheduled to begin offering vehicles in 2026 through the Waymo One app in Washington, DC. Returned to the country’s capital In January, we tested autonomous driving technology. In late March, it said it was bringing more vehicles into the city and working to expand its services throughout the year. in Blog postWaymo said, “will continue to work closely with policymakers to formalize the regulations needed to operate without humans behind the wheels of the district.”

You will also have to wait until 2026 to ride a Waymo in Miami. The company is like that Weather test conducted With its final deployment, Blog post“Our previous road trips to the challenging rainy conditions of Sunshine State have been invaluable in advancing our autonomous driving capabilities.”

Waymo will work with Moove, the Fintech Company, the first to provide vehicle financing at Phoenix, which manages Robotaxi’s fleet operations, facilities and charging infrastructure. In Phoenix and Miami, “Waymo continues to provide services through the Waymo One app and remains responsible for verifying and operating Waymo drivers,” the company said. Blog post.

The expansion of Waymo to Tokyo, announced in December, is in collaboration with Japanese taxi service Nihon Kotsu and taxi app Go. In April, the autonomous driving company ultimately shared that it was ready to visit the roads overseas.

Waymo says that trained Nihon Kotsu drivers will manually drive vehicles in seven Tokyo wards, including Port, Shinuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Ch Biju, Shinagawa and K-stone. This allows engineers to test and adapt Waymo’s autonomous driving skills to local road functions and traffic.

“In Tokyo, we adhere to the same unchanging principles that guide us in the United States: our commitment to safety, our commitment to trust in the communities we operate, and our collaboration with local officials and community groups in Tokyo,” said Nicole Gebel of Waymo’s Business Development and Strategic Partnership.

It is not clear how riders can make the self-driving ride with Waymo in Tokyo.

The road ahead: future vehicles

In August, Waymo unveiled sixth generation of autonomous driving technology. Smarter sensors are intended to help you navigate your car better in extreme weather, Waymo said. The sixth generation drivers are installed on all electricity Zeekr vehiclefeatures flat floor, more heads and legroom, adjustable seats, removable steering wheel and pedals. The updated technology is still being tested, but the company says it’s ready for riders to use.

Waymo was also announced in October Partnership with Hyundai According to a blog post, “it will be added to the Waymo One fleet over time” to integrate the sixth generation driver into the all-electric Ioniq 5 SUV. The company added, “We are planning to produce Ioniq 5 equipped with Waymo technology for several years and to support Waymo’s growth scale.” Testing on these vehicles will begin by late 2025 and become available “in the year to follow.”

Currently, daily riders are not able to use Waymo vehicles on highways and highways, but that may change soon. The company is testing completely autonomous vehicles Phoenix Highwayas seen in an exclusive video shared with CNET in May. We are also now making fully autonomous highway rides available to Waymo employees. In Los Angeles.

Waymo is working to expand autonomous driving technology to trucking, but last year it was Reduce those efforts For now, I’ll focus on riding on the Waymo One. “Our continued investment in advancing the capabilities of Waymo drivers, especially on the highways, will be translated directly into trucking and benefit our development efforts,” he said.