Alphabet-owned Waymo announced plans Monday to expand the coverage of its driverless, fully autonomous passenger cars in Phoenix, Arizona, for the first time since launching the pilot program.
Expansion plans
According to the press release, Waymo will start testing its rider-only ride-hailing services on freeways throughout Phoenix.
“Waymo will begin testing its fully autonomous passenger cars without a human driver on freeways in Phoenix to soon help Waymo One riders get where they’re going safely and efficiently.”
Waymo stated in the press release
It will follow a multiphased approach by initially offering rides to employees before gradually launching the service to other Waymo One ride-hailing app users.
Waymo tasked the involved employees
to offer feedback on both the service and rider experience for the company to refine the service before expanding it to the public.
“Before expanding, we ensure we have a comprehensive understanding of the environment we plan to operate and our system’s capabilities. Waymo’s years of experience driving cars and trucks on freeways taught us to navigate everyday scenarios autonomously and inform our approach to responding to rare events safely.”
Waymo spokesperson (via PopSci)
However, Waymo did not specify the official timeline of these new tests. Nonetheless, it noted that the company has been increasingly accelerating the driver-monitored testing on freeways over the past year.
Waymo overtakes Cruise
Waymo’s significant advancements in the autonomous driving industry come after Cruises’ major mishaps in the past few months.
GM-backed Cruise suffered from numerous challenges, including an October report that says its fleet of driverless Chevrolet Bolts caused prolonged traffic jams in San Francisco.
More alarmingly, another Cruise robotaxi reportedly hit a woman pedestrian and dragged her 20 feet from the scene after a hit-and-run accident caused by another sedan on October 2.
“At approximately 9:30 pm on October 2, a human-driven vehicle struck a pedestrian while traveling in the lane immediately to the left of a Cruise AV. The initial impact was severe and launched the pedestrian directly in front of the AV. The AV then braked aggressively to minimize the impact. The driver of the other vehicle fled the scene, and at the request of the police the AV was kept in place.”
Cruise said in a statement on social media
As a result, Cruise needed to halt all its operations in San Francisco after the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) suspended its autonomous vehicle deployment and driverless testing permits due to the prevailing safety issues.
Safety concerns
Despite Cruise’s mishaps, Waymo continues to stay committed to distinguishing itself from rivals by focusing on safety.
In fact, it published a report last year about the “credible case for safety” that outlines the necessary steps to determine an autonomous vehicle system’s safety for public road deployment without a human driver.
However, expanding to freeways is undoubtedly a riskier environment for Waymo’s robotaxis.
Robotaxis are more likely to cause major injury or death on freeways compared to local city street driving. Therefore, Waymo must really be cautious in its approach to expanding its robotaxi services’ testing ground.
Impressively, Waymo managed to maintain a remarkable safety record with its robotaxis traveling more than seven million miles in California and Arizona. Of that total miles, it only reported three minor injuries. The company’s major focus on safety is indeed necessary to encourage people to adopt this emerging mobility technology without worrying over the risks of crashes or any road accidents.
