Waymo now operates fully driverless cars in more than one city. The Alphabet-owned brand has started trials of self-driving Jaguar I-Pace EVs in San Francisco without a backup driver. Testing is limited to employees requesting rides in the company’s early service area, but this still marks an important milestone — the company claimed in a message to Engadget that it was the first ever to offer autonomous rides in two different territories .
You will also see an expanded footprint in Arizona. Waymo said it will expand fully autonomous driving to downtown Phoenix, starting with employees. Members of the public in the Trusted Tester program can welcome rides “soon after,” Waymo said.
It’s not certain when Waymo will be able to offer travel to the general public in San Francisco. The company recently got permission to charge for self-driving trips in California, but only as long as a backup driver is on board. Still, both rollouts point to greater trust from Waymo. It’s more willing to test its autonomous system in densely populated areas (where traffic and road works can be major headaches) and not rely as much on human safety nets.
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