Waymo announces that its robotaxis will drive freeways for the first time | Technology

Alphabet’s Waymo said Wednesday it will begin offering robotaxi rides using freeways in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix, a first for the Google subsidiary that is accelerating expansion amid global and domestic competition in the autonomous driving industry.

Waymo said highway rides will initially be available to early access users. “When a motorway route is significantly faster, these can be paired with a motorway journey, resulting in faster, smoother and more efficient rides,” he said.

Waymo, which already operates in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, is expanding its operations to San Jose, including Mineta San Jose international airport, the second airport in its service area after Phoenix Sky Harbor.

The move comes as Tesla expands its robotaxi service with safety monitors and drivers, and Zoox, backed by Amazon, offers free robotaxi rides on and around the Las Vegas Strip.

Waymo is the only company in the U.S. that operates a paid robotaxi service without safety drivers or in-car monitors, with a fleet of more than 1,500 vehicles. Waymo first began offering paid rides in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2020, nearly 11 years after the company, previously known as Google’s driverless car project, began developing and testing autonomous technology.

Waymo has been growing slowly but steadily over the years, and the company, like its rivals, has faced federal investigations for unpredictable driving behavior.

Highway driving is relatively less complicated than navigating the many variables of a city street, but it introduces a new set of factors that vehicles must maneuver at much higher speeds, including other merging vehicles and how to exit. While it may be more difficult to drive autonomously in a city with pedestrians, frequent intersections, and unpredictable situations, any mistake or malfunction made at high speeds on the highway can lead to serious consequences. The company said it is developing new highway protocols with local highway patrols and law enforcement agencies.

Although Tesla has long offered driver assistance features on highways, this move will make Waymo the first company to offer driverless rides on the highway.