Table of Contents Waymo Gets the Green Light to Test in New York City. Everything to Know About the Robotaxi Self-driving cars are slowly becoming less sci-fi and more real-world as companies like Waymo, the autonomous arm of Google's parent Alphabet, expand into more cities. On Friday, the city of New York granted Waymo a permit to test its autonomous vehicles in parts of Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn, with a specialist sitting behind the wheel. Waymo arrived on the streets of New York City in July to ...

Core Insights - Waymo is expanding its autonomous vehicle services into more cities, including recent expansions in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, with plans to test in New York City next month [1][3] Expansion of Services - Bay Area riders can now hail fully autonomous rides in Brisbane, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae, and Burlingame, with select access to Mountain View and parts of Palo Alto and Menlo Park [2] - In Los Angeles, the service area has expanded to over 120 square miles, including Playa del Rey, Ladera Heights, Echo Park, Silver Lake, and Mid-City to Inglewood [2][16] - Waymo plans to launch its service in Atlanta via Uber later this year, covering 65 square miles, and will also begin operations in Washington, DC, and Miami in 2026 [3][25][24] Partnerships and Collaborations - Waymo is expanding its partnership with Uber, allowing riders to hail Waymo vehicles through the Uber app in Austin and soon in Atlanta [20][18] - A collaboration with Toyota was announced to explore developing autonomous driving technology for personal vehicles [4] - Waymo is also partnering with Hyundai to integrate its sixth-generation technology into the Ioniq 5 SUVs, with testing expected to start by late 2025 [6][31] Manufacturing and Fleet Expansion - Waymo is opening a new 239,000-square-foot factory in Phoenix to add 2,000 fully autonomous Jaguar I-Pace vehicles to its fleet, which currently consists of 1,500 vehicles [5] - The factory's design will allow for the integration of upcoming sixth-generation self-driving technology into new vehicles [5] Safety and Performance Metrics - Waymo reports providing over 250,000 paid trips each week, with its autonomous technology showing 88% fewer crashes leading to serious injuries compared to average human drivers [7][8] - The company has driven over 71 million autonomous miles, reporting significantly fewer crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists [8] Future Developments - Waymo's sixth-generation self-driving technology aims to enhance vehicle capabilities, including better navigation in extreme weather [30] - The company is also testing fully autonomous rides on freeways in Phoenix and plans to expand these capabilities to everyday riders soon [31][32]

Core Insights - Waymo is expanding its self-driving car services into more cities, including additional areas in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, making autonomous rides more accessible to the public [1][2] Expansion of Services - Waymo's robotaxi service now covers Brisbane, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae, and Burlingame in the Bay Area, with plans to extend to Mountain View and parts of Palo Alto and Menlo Park [2] - In Los Angeles, the service area has expanded to over 120 square miles, including Playa del Rey, Ladera Heights, Echo Park, Silver Lake, and Sunset Boulevard [2][16] Current Operations - Waymo operates fully autonomous rides in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas, using all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles [3] - The company is set to launch its services in Atlanta via Uber later this year and plans to begin operations in Washington, DC, and Miami by 2026 [3][25] Manufacturing and Technology Development - Waymo is opening a new 239,000-square-foot autonomous vehicle factory in Phoenix, aiming to add 2,000 Jaguar I-Pace vehicles to its fleet [5] - The company has reached a preliminary agreement with Toyota to explore collaboration on autonomous driving technology [4] Safety and Performance Metrics - Waymo reports providing over 250,000 paid trips weekly, with its autonomous technology showing 88% fewer serious injury crashes compared to average human drivers [7][8] - The company has recorded significant reductions in crashes involving pedestrians (93%), cyclists (81%), and motorcyclists (86%) [8] Future Developments - Waymo is testing its sixth-generation self-driving technology, which includes enhanced sensors for better navigation in extreme weather [29] - The company has partnered with Hyundai to integrate its technology into the all-electric Ioniq 5 SUV, with plans for significant production over multiple years [30]