Self-driving cars are slowly becoming less sci-fi and more real-world as companies like Waymo, the driverless arm of Google's parent Alphabet, expand into more cities. This week, the robotaxi service stretched into more parts of the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. And starting next month, Waymo will start testing its autonomous tech in New York City. Now, Bay Area riders can hail a fully autonomous Waymo ride in Brisbane, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae and Burlingame via the Waymo One app, ...

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]

Alphabet-owned Waymo and the auto manufacturing giant Magna International plan to double robotaxi production at their new plant in Mesa, Arizona, by the end of 2026, the companies announced Monday.The "Waymo Driver Integration Plant," a 239,000 square foot facility outside of Phoenix, will assemble over 2,000 Jaguar I-PACE robotaxis, the Alphabet company said in a statement. Waymo will add those self-driving vehicles to its existing fleet that already includes around 1,500 robotaxis.The plant will be, "capa ...