Waymo gets the OK to keep testing tech on NYC streets

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Waymo is sticking around the Big Apple.

The Alphabet-owned robotaxi company announced on Oct. 1 that the New York City Department of Transportation had extended its autonomous testing permit through the end of 2025, after Waymo started testing its technology on NYC roads earlier this year.

The permit allows Waymo vehicles to drive on city streets with a human behind the wheel.

“We’ll continue laying the groundwork to serve New Yorkers in the future while we also advocate for changes in state law that enable us to offer the same reliable service we provide in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta,” the company said in a statement. New York state law doesn’t allow autonomous vehicles with no human behind the wheel.

In addition to those cities where Waymo already has commercial operations, the ride-hailing service is slated to open to the public in Dallas, Denver, Miami, Nashville, and Washington, DC, “within the next year.”

That’s just one of numerous business updates Waymo has announced in recent weeks, including its decision to launch a service specifically geared toward business travelers. The service, Waymo for Business, is “aimed at companies that may want to set up Waymo accounts for their employees en masse,” The Verge reported.

The Verge also reported that Waymo is partnering with transit-focused startup Via to integrate Waymo’s robotaxis into public transit networks. After testing out the program in Chandler, Arizona, the two companies could look to expand into other cities.

Zoox goes to Washington: Meanwhile, Amazon-owned robotaxi operator Zoox announced this month that it’s expanding its testing operations to its eighth market: DC. In a blog post, the company called the move “a strategic step toward bringing safe, sustainable, and autonomous transportation to the nation’s capital and the Mid-Atlantic, paving the way for future deployments in the region.”

Zoox’s test fleet is also in Atlanta, Austin, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle.

Zoox will initially deploy “a few vehicles” in DC with safety drivers behind the wheel. The fleet will map out a geofenced area before autonomous testing starts later this year.

Also: AV tech company Kodiak officially went public via SPAC merger at the end of September, with a valuation of approximately $2.5 billion.

“The transportation industry faces growing challenges, including safety risks, rising costs, and driver shortages,” Kodiak CEO and founder Don Burnette said in a statement. “Going public with the support of our partners at AACT marks an important step in Kodiak’s journey to help transform how freight moves by providing our driverless solution to customers.”

Earlier this year, Kodiak marked its first commercial deployment with its deliveries of driverless semis to customer Atlas Energy Solutions, which is using the trucks to move frac sand around oilfields in the Permian Basin. Kodiak also has been running delivery routes for customers including Ikea, Bridgestone, and Maersk.

Meanwhile, AV tech company Nuro announced a milestone in its partnership with Uber and EV maker Lucid, saying that Lucid had delivered the first vehicle to Nuro as part of the deal. Nuro is integrating its AV hardware and software into Lucid’s vehicles for use on Uber’s ride-hailing network.

Uber previously announced that it planned to add at least 20,000 Lucid Gravity EVs equipped with Nuro’s tech over six years and in dozens of global markets.