Waymo expands robotaxi rides to new cities, and more AV sector news

Waymo has been trying to crack the code on fully self-driving vehicles for over 15 years now.

After years of gradual progress, the Alphabet-owned robotaxi startup is picking up the pace. This year, Waymo made a slew of announcements about market expansions. By the end of next year, its leaders want the company to be offering 1 million rides per week, co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said at a TechCrunch event in October.

Most recently, Waymo announced the launch of fully autonomous robotaxis in Miami and said it would soon debut operations in four additional US cities—Dallas, Houston, Orlando, and San Antonio—before opening rides to the public in those locations next year.

In a blog post, the company laid out its “consistent” approach to expanding in a growing roster of cities with their own quirks.

“We compare our driving performance against a proven baseline to validate the performance of the Waymo Driver and identify any unique local characteristics. As needed, we then refine the Waymo Driver’s AI to navigate these local nuances—which are becoming fewer with every city,” according to the company.

“This data feeds into a flywheel of continuous improvement, bolstered by rigorous validation through real-world driving and advanced simulation, then implemented through regular software releases.”

Waymo claims it has demonstrated that, compared to human drivers, its system is involved in 11 times fewer crashes causing serious injuries.

Waymo previously announced plans to open up its ride-hailing service to members of the public in Dallas, Denver, Miami, Nashville, and Washington, DC, next year. And it recently said it would start testing its technology in Minneapolis, New Orleans, and Tampa. The ride-hailing service (in some cases via its own app, and in others in partnership with Uber) is already available in Atlanta, Austin, LA, Phoenix, and San Francisco.

In other news: Amazon-owned robotaxi startup Zoox, which has purpose-built vehicles without traditional controls like steering wheels, on Nov. 18 announced it was opening up its ride-hailing service to members of the public in San Francisco. For now, the service is free (the company has to obtain additional regulatory approvals to charge for rides).

Zoox’s service area in San Francisco “includes the majority of the SoMa, Mission, and Design District neighborhoods,” according to a blog post. Zoox’s fleet began testing in SoMa and the Design District last November.

Zoox launched a ride-hailing service around the Las Vegas Strip in September, and the company is testing in numerous cities around the country. The company said it “will continue adding new destinations throughout the coming months.”

Meanwhile, TechCrunch recently reported that Tesla has obtained a permit that would allow it to expand its ride-hailing service to Phoenix.

Tesla debuted a limited robotaxi service in Austin in June that still involves a human safety operator behind the wheel, even as CEO Elon Musk has made ambitious promises about expanding across the country at a rapid pace.