Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving technology companyAnnounceThe company is further expanding its autonomous driving service to five new cities in Texas and Florida. These five locations include Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando.
Although the official opening of passenger services is not expected to start until 2026, the relevant preliminary work has already begun.
Miami was the first to launch the test, using the "flywheel effect" to accelerate deployment.
Waymo said it will begin operating its self-driving vehicles in Miami starting this Tuesday (November 19) (without passengers at this stage), with the remaining four cities to follow suit "in the coming weeks".
The main purpose of this stage is to allow the vehicle to become familiar with the local road environment without passengers, thereby discovering the local traffic characteristics and adjusting the driving algorithm accordingly.
Waymo emphasizes that as it expands its service to more cities, the amount of work required to localize for new locations is decreasing. The company states, "This data will be fed into continuously improving autonomous vehicles, rigorously validated through real-world driving and advanced simulations, and implemented through regular software updates."
Emphasizing safety above human safety, its territory continues to expand.
In terms of safety, Waymo claims that its self-driving vehicles are 11 times less likely to be involved in serious injury accidents than human drivers.
Waymo currently provides ride-hailing services in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Austin. With the recent announcement of its entry into San Diego, Detroit, and Las Vegas, and the addition of these five new cities, Waymo is rapidly expanding its coverage in the US market, attempting to widen the gap with its competitors in the fiercely competitive self-driving car market.
