Over the next two weeks, Waymo will start at test a robot taxi without an operator for safety on boardon the streets of Los Angeles. It’s a major new step in the company’s plan to offer paid self-driving passenger transportation services in California.
Initially, only Waymo employees will be able to use robotic taxi services in Los Angeles. While Waymo is mapping several areas of Los Angeles, including Downtown, Miracle Mile, Koreatown, and Westwood, as of 2019, the company will begin its trials in Santa Monica before gradually increasing the working area.
The Alphabet-owned company announced plans to launch an automated robot taxi service in Los Angeles last October. As a reminder, Waymo’s electric Jaguar I-Pace, suitably modified with sensors, cameras and LiDAR, is already on the streets of Los Angeles, but with a security operator on board. Now Waymo is gearing up to take it one step further by conducting unmanned airborne safety tests.
After a rigorous cycle of testing and assessing security readiness, @Waymo begins fully autonomous (without human intervention) trials in Los Angeles. Excited about the data, once again confirming how well our 5th generation machine learning driver generalizes cities! pic.twitter.com/hd0XU5zecT
— Dmitry Dolgov (@dmitri_dolgov) February 27, 2023
With the experience gained in San Francisco, Waymo said it could roll out its robot taxi service to new cities much faster. At the moment, we do not know when the company plans to launch commercial passenger transport. Much will depend on the permissions granted California Public Utilities Commission (KPUK). The permits, which the company is still waiting to receive, are also in San Francisco.
Today, Waymo operates a commercial robotic taxi service in San Francisco, but can only charge passengers for rides when a security officer is in the front seat. As such, it will take several more months of testing before the company can actually launch a paid service in California with unmanned vehicle without a security operator on board.
Source: HD Motori
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.