Waymo plans robotaxi launch in London, marking its European debut

Core Insights - Waymo is expanding its driverless ride-hailing services to London, marking its first entry into the European market for robotaxis [1][2] - The company plans to begin test drives in London soon, with the aim of launching its robotaxi service next year, pending regulatory approvals [2] - Waymo's fleet in London will consist of Jaguar iPACE electric vehicles equipped with its autonomous systems, and it will collaborate with Moove for operations and maintenance [4] Expansion Plans - Waymo has been actively expanding its services in the U.S., currently offering commercial services in cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Austin [3] - The company has plans to initiate robotaxi services in Miami and Washington, D.C., and has received permits to test autonomous vehicles in New York City [3] Safety and Performance - Waymo claims its autonomous system is involved in five times fewer injury-causing collisions and twelve times fewer collisions with pedestrians compared to human drivers [7] - The company has reported logging 100 million fully autonomous miles on public roads and has provided over 10 million paid rides to passengers [7] Financial Performance - Waymo is part of Alphabet's "Other Bets" segment, which generated $373 million in revenue during the second quarter, while incurring a loss of $1.25 billion [8] - Alphabet is set to report its third-quarter results on October 29 [8] Industry Context - The U.K. has introduced an accelerated framework for commercial pilots by autonomous vehicle ventures, aiming to attract self-driving investments [6] - London has established a "Vision Zero" goal to eliminate serious injuries and deaths in its transportation systems by 2041 [6] - Competitor Wayve, backed by SoftBank and Microsoft, plans to launch a robotaxi commercial pilot in London next year, utilizing a camera-based system [9]