Alphabet’s autonomous taxi service, Waymo, has announced plans to test self-driving cars in 10 new cities that have not been previously tested by Waymo within the year 2025. This initiative will kick off in the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego as the first two locations.
Termed as a “Road Trip” by Waymo, this testing phase does not imply immediate autonomous taxi service availability in these cities. Rather, it involves gathering data through vehicle operation to enhance and refine the self-driving system. The goal is to improve the system’s ability to navigate diverse environments beyond those in which Waymo currently operates, and learn different driving conditions in various urban settings to develop a versatile driving system.
During these testing phases, Waymo will deploy vehicles with a human driver behind the wheel to provide feedback to the automated system for learning and improvement. Subsequently, they will transition to testing fully autonomous driving systems with a human driver monitoring from behind the wheel to gather additional data.
Nick Rose, Head of Product Expansion at Waymo, explained the rationale behind selecting the first two cities for this round of testing. Los Angeles, known for its congested traffic and varied parking locations catering to passenger drop-off, presents unique challenges. Additionally, the city’s distinct road symbols add to the complexity. On the other hand, San Diego offers an environment similar to Waymo’s current service areas, allowing for an examination of the system’s adaptability without major additional data inputs.
The latest cities where Waymo has recently announced plans to commence testing for general service are Miami and Tokyo, Japan.
TLDR: Waymo is expanding self-driving car testing to 10 new cities by 2025, starting with Los Angeles and San Diego. The testing phase aims to gather data for system improvement and adaptability in various urban environments.
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