Autonomous Vehicles from Waymo Gain Initial Authorization for Testing in New York City
Waymo, the self-driving car subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., is advancing its self-driving ambitions by expanding its robotaxi service to New York City. The announcement was made by New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Friday.
The testing will initially be conducted in parts of Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn, with a trained specialist behind the wheel during the initial phase. Waymo has received a permit to test its autonomous vehicles in the city, and the New York State law requires a test vehicle operator to be present at all times and ready to assume control of the vehicle while the self-driving technology is in operation.
Waymo has been driving manually in New York City since its return in July. The company's fleet consists of approximately 1,500 vehicles, and it has provided over 10 million rides in five major U.S. cities, including San Francisco, Phoenix, and Austin. However, the number of cities where Waymo's robotaxi service is currently operational has not been specified in the article.
The testing in New York City marks an important milestone for Waymo as it continues to expand its operations in the U.S. It also adds to the growing competition in the robotaxi sector, with Tesla aiming to expand its robotaxi service to cover half of the U.S. population by the end of 2025 and having already deployed a limited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas.
The introduction of autonomous vehicles could have significant implications for the insurance industry, with Bank of America predicting that they can boost insurers' profitability. However, the current status of Waymo's robotaxi service in New York City is not clear from the article.
Until now, Waymo's cars have been used for manual driving, data collection, and testing in New York City. The identity of the test driver who will be sitting in Waymo's autonomous vehicles in New York City remains unknown.
As Waymo continues to push the boundaries of self-driving technology, the company's testing in New York City is a step towards making autonomous vehicles a common sight on city streets across the U.S.
Read also:
- Tata Motors Establishes 25,000 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Nationwide in India
- Tesla's Nevada workforce has escalated to a daily output of 1,000 Powerwall units.
- AI-Enhanced Battery-Swapping Station in Southeast Asia Officially Opens Its Doors
- Honda unveils blueprint for design, advanced driver assistance systems, electric vehicles, fuel efficiency, and technology development
