Waymo and Uber debut robotaxi service in Atlanta

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All eyes in the autonomous vehicle sector were on Austin in June, as Tesla launched its long-awaited robotaxi service on a limited basis.

Meanwhile, its top competitor in the space, Alphabet-owned Waymo, announced several moves demonstrating its continued scaling of a business that now has commercial operations in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Austin, and Atlanta—with Washington, DC, and Miami coming soon.

Hard launch: Waymo and Uber launched a robotaxi service in Atlanta on June 24. The move is part of a partnership between the ride-sharing giant and the robotaxi startup as they both aim to scale up driverless rides. Uber manages the fleet, while Waymo handles the vehicle testing and operations.

Waymo rides are available on Uber’s network across 65 square miles of the Atlanta area, from downtown to Buckhead to Capitol View, with plans to expand in the future. Users can opt into autonomous rides in the “ride preferences” section of the Uber app to increase their chances of hailing a Waymo vehicle.

Waymo also announced in June that it would be returning to New York City to conduct testing. The company said that while it’s not yet expanding into the market, “we have every intention of bringing our fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the city in the future.” Waymo has applied for a permit from NYC’s Department of Transportation to operate autonomously with a human safety operator behind the wheel in Manhattan. The company will start out with manual rides, pending permit approval.

Currently, New York state law doesn’t allow for autonomous driving with no human behind the wheel. Waymo is lobbying to change this.

In other news: Speaking of Uber, The New York Times reported that the ride-hailing company is in discussions with its ousted founder, Travis Kalanick, about a potential deal to help him fund the acquisition of the US subsidiary of Chinese AV company Pony.ai, as Uber looks to become more competitive in the AV space. Pony went public in the US last year, the Times report noted, and it now has a market capitalization of $4.5 billion.

Volkswagen’s mobility company, MOIA, unveiled the autonomous ID. Buzz AD, which is slated to be available on Uber’s network.

And Amazon-owned robotaxi startup Zoox in June unveiled what it touted as “the first-ever serial production facility for purpose-built robotaxis in the US.” The plant is Zoox’s second production facility in the San Francisco Bay Area. It expects the facility to eventually employ “hundreds” of people who will work alongside autonomous robots tasked with processes such as “applying adhesive for glass installation.”

Zoox plans to deploy a purpose-built robotaxi with a unique design, with no steering wheel or pedals.

The plant spans 220,000 square feet and, at full capacity, will be able to build more than 10,000 robotaxis per year, Zoox said in a blog post. The company said that the number of robotaxis it builds “will grow and scale to match the demand of our commercial service as needed.”

Zoox’s latest announcement followed the startup’s update in May that it would begin testing in a seventh city: Atlanta. Zoox also is testing its tech, with human safety operators, in Miami, Los Angeles, Austin, and Seattle. It’s preparing to launch commercial operations in Las Vegas, and, later this year, in San Francisco.