Waymo's Self-Driving Cars Now Cruising Freeways Across the US and UK
In a significant milestone for autonomous transportation, Waymo, the Alphabet-owned company behind self-driving cars, has announced that its robotaxis can now use highways to speed up longer trips. This latest development marks another major technical leap for the company, which already offers autonomous taxi services in several cities across the United States and the UK.
Waymo's decision to venture onto freeways comes after years of testing on private roads and closed courses. The company claims that its vehicles have been trained to navigate highways with ease, thanks to a combination of real-world data collected during highway testing, supplemented by simulations and data from private courses.
According to Naomi Guthrie, a Waymo user experience researcher, the new freeway service could significantly reduce travel times for passengers traveling between cities. "Freeway driving is one of those things that's very easy to learn, but very hard to master," said Dmitri Dolgov, co-CEO of Waymo. "We're excited to bring this technology to our users and make their journeys faster and safer."
However, safety remains a top priority for Waymo. The company has implemented various measures to mitigate risks, including the use of redundant computer systems and training its vehicles to exit highways in case of emergencies.
The new service marks an expansion of Waymo's existing network, which currently operates in several US cities, including Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco Bay Area. The company plans to launch in additional US and international cities next year, including Dallas, Miami, Nashville, Las Vegas, Detroit, and London.
As part of its freeway expansion, Waymo will also introduce a new service area in the San Francisco Bay Area, allowing passengers to travel autonomously from San Francisco to San Jose, a distance of over 260 square miles. The company has been testing autonomous taxi services on local roads since last summer but hopes that the new freeway service will significantly reduce travel times.
Waymo's move into freeway transportation is seen as a significant step forward for the development of autonomous vehicles. As cities and countries continue to urbanize, there is growing demand for safe and efficient transportation options, making Waymo's technology an attractive solution for many consumers.
In a significant milestone for autonomous transportation, Waymo, the Alphabet-owned company behind self-driving cars, has announced that its robotaxis can now use highways to speed up longer trips. This latest development marks another major technical leap for the company, which already offers autonomous taxi services in several cities across the United States and the UK.
Waymo's decision to venture onto freeways comes after years of testing on private roads and closed courses. The company claims that its vehicles have been trained to navigate highways with ease, thanks to a combination of real-world data collected during highway testing, supplemented by simulations and data from private courses.
According to Naomi Guthrie, a Waymo user experience researcher, the new freeway service could significantly reduce travel times for passengers traveling between cities. "Freeway driving is one of those things that's very easy to learn, but very hard to master," said Dmitri Dolgov, co-CEO of Waymo. "We're excited to bring this technology to our users and make their journeys faster and safer."
However, safety remains a top priority for Waymo. The company has implemented various measures to mitigate risks, including the use of redundant computer systems and training its vehicles to exit highways in case of emergencies.
The new service marks an expansion of Waymo's existing network, which currently operates in several US cities, including Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco Bay Area. The company plans to launch in additional US and international cities next year, including Dallas, Miami, Nashville, Las Vegas, Detroit, and London.
As part of its freeway expansion, Waymo will also introduce a new service area in the San Francisco Bay Area, allowing passengers to travel autonomously from San Francisco to San Jose, a distance of over 260 square miles. The company has been testing autonomous taxi services on local roads since last summer but hopes that the new freeway service will significantly reduce travel times.
Waymo's move into freeway transportation is seen as a significant step forward for the development of autonomous vehicles. As cities and countries continue to urbanize, there is growing demand for safe and efficient transportation options, making Waymo's technology an attractive solution for many consumers.
. I mean, who doesn't love cruising down the highway at 70 mph while sipping on a coffee and binge-watching their favorite show? 
It's like the ultimate form of relaxation, minus the annoying human drivers who always seem to be in a rush! 
Anyway, it's cool that they're making self-driving cars more accessible, but I hope they don't forget about all the crazy stuff we humans do on the road, like eating chips and yelling at each other 
. I mean, they've been testing in closed courses and private roads for years but now its actually happening. Should reduce travel times a lot, that's what they say 
. Got my eye on that San Francisco to San Jose route tho 
. Still, Waymo seems like they're all over this, got the tech and the experience 
. Maybe we'll see a future where cars just drive themselves everywhere 
.
Finally, we can see self-driving cars taking over our highways, reducing traffic congestion and making long trips way faster. Waymo's approach to training their vehicles on private roads and closed courses makes total sense. I'm excited to try it out when they launch in my city! 
It's crazy to think that freeways are just a normal part of driving now. Less stress, more productivity for everyone. Can't wait to see the impact on traffic and air pollution too.
a robot taxicab on freeways is like a gamer finally beating level 99 
! now we can zoom through traffic without human errors 
. but will it crash into self-driving trucks? 
. btw, who needs human drivers when u have a fancy AI 
. safety first tho, gotta give them props for those redundant computer systems and emergency exit protocols 
. btw, 260 square miles from sf to san jose? that's a looong ride 
but i guess it'll be worth it if we can cut travel times in half 
. What do you guys think - are we ready for a future where we're less in control?
And Waymo is totally killing it with this new service. I've been using their robotaxis in LA and it's crazy smooth! 
They're really pushing the boundaries of tech here.
i remember when they first started testing on private roads and closed courses, i was like "yaaas, this is gonna be a thing!!" 
and now they're expanding to the UK too 
which is insane!!! my friend who lives in london just tweeted about it and she's super excited 
what if something goes wrong? 
but i guess waymo has got this covered with their redundant computer systems and emergency exit training 
so yeah, let's all just take a deep breath and enjoy the future of transportation 