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Waymo resumes testing self-driving trucks in Arizona
Waymo -- Alphabet's autonomous vehicle company -- announced that it would resume testing its trucks on Phoenix freeways. The company had pulled its Class 8 trucks off the road back in 2017, after some brief tests in the state. Tests of the self-driving trucks will commence in Phoenix this week, a Waymo spokeswoman told Engadget over email. Each truck will be operated by two "trained" drivers, with the eventual goal being to move towards a completely driverless model.
Waymo's self-driving vans will start picking up Lyft riders in Phoenix
Waymo and Lyft have clarified how their self-driving technology partnership will work in the short term. As an initial move, Lyft customers in the metro Phoenix area will have access to 10 Waymo vehicles in the next few months. You'll just have to pick the vehicle type from the Lyft app, much like you would with any other ride option. The move will both expand the reach of Waymo's fledgling self-driving operations and provide "valuable feedback."
Waymo will build its self-driving vehicle fleet in Detroit
Waymo will build its autonomous vehicles in Detroit. CEO John Krafcik wrote Tuesday in a Medium post that the company will repurpose an existing facility in Motor City with the goal of being operational by mid-2019. Back in January, the company announced it had chosen southeast Michigan as the location of its new facility for the mass production of L4 autonomous vehicles, the first of its kind in the world.
Ford CEO says the company 'overestimated' self-driving cars
Ford CEO Jim Hackett scaled back hopes about the company's plans for self-driving cars this week, admitting that the first vehicles will have limits. "We overestimated the arrival of autonomous vehicles," said Hackett, who once headed the company's autonomous vehicle division, at a Detroit Economic Club event on Tuesday. While Ford still plans on launching its self-driving car fleet in 2021, Hackett added that "its applications will be narrow, what we call geo-fenced, because the problem is so complex."
Waymo is building a new service center for its self-driving fleet
Waymo announced plans to open a new technical service center in Mesa, Arizona. There, it will service and maintain its Waymo One cars -- the vehicles that make up its self-driving car service. Waymo launched the on-demand, autonomous rides (with human backup) in December. And, by the looks of this expansion, things are going well for the company.
Waymo will sell its lidar sensors to companies outside of self-driving cars
Alphabet subsidiary Waymo announced today that it is going to let companies use its powerful sensor technology for purposes other than self-driving vehicles. It will start by selling one of its lidars: a 3D perimeter sensor that can measure distance by sending out pulses of laser light called the Laser Bear Honeycomb. The sensor, which will only be available to select partners of Waymo, is typically used on the bumpers of autonomous vehicles.
Waymo's self-driving cars needed a lot less human intervention in 2018
Waymo likes to boast that its self-driving cars can handle tough situations, and now it has some extra data to back up its claims. The California DMV has published manufacturers' reports for autonomous vehicle disengagements (moments when a human had to intervene), and Waymo's disengagement rate fell in 2018 to 0.09 for every 1,000 driverless miles -- that's half as many instances as in 2017. To Waymo, that's evidence the cars are better at dealing with "edge cases," those once-in-a-lifetime situations that used to require human adaptability.
Waymo may team up with Renault-Nissan on self-driving taxis
Waymo might not be done courting the automotive world after working with the likes of Fiat Chrysler and Jaguar Land Rover. Nikkei claims the Alphabet-owned company is in the "final phase" of talks to partner with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance on self-driving car services. While there aren't too many specifics, one project would have Waymo and Nissan work together on autonomous taxis, including a system for booking rides. You'd hear about the union in the spring, Nikkei said.
Waymo will build self-driving cars in Michigan
Waymo just took another major step toward bringing self-driving cars into the mainstream. The Alphabet-owned brand has received approval to establish a factory for its driverless vehicles in Michigan. This will be the first factory in the world to be completely devoted to mass-producing Level 4 autonomous vehicles, the company said.
Uber puts self-driving cars back on the road in scaled-down test
Eight months after one of Uber's self-driving cars fatally struck a pedestrian, the company is getting ready to resume testing of its autonomous vehicles on public roads. However, according to internal sources, there are concerns about the program's safety, with some employees claiming corners are being cut in a bid to reach milestones and keep up with competitors.
Waymo launches its first commercial self-driving car service
The rumor was true: Waymo's self-driving car service is here. The company has launched Waymo One, its first commercial ride hailing offering. People in part of the metro Phoenix area can use an app to ask for an autonomous vehicle 24/7 much like they would ridesharing cars, complete with price estimates and trip reviews. Up to three adults and a child can travel at once. To no one's surprise, though, Waymo is starting cautiously -- it's hoping to avoid further collisions and ease the community into a driverless world.
Tesla celebrates one billion Autopilot-assisted miles
Vehicle companies are big fans of marking achievements by mileage. Google's self-driving vehicles clocked up 1.2 million miles without getting a ticket back in 2015, earlier this year Waymo announced its self-driving cars had hit 10 million miles. Now, Tesla is upping the ante with news that its drivers have covered more than one billion miles with autopilot engaged.
Waymo reportedly returns safety drivers to its autonomous cars
Waymo is reportedly rolling out additional safety measures for its self-driving vehicle fleets, reintroducing safety drivers and installing cameras to monitor driver fatigue. The Information reports that these changes were put into place due to safety concerns, and they come after a handful of recent traffic incidents.
Waymo may launch its self-driving car service in early December
It's been a long time in coming, but Waymo finally appears to be on the cusp of launching a commercial self-driving car service. Bloomberg sources claim that the Alphabet-owned brand will launch its autonomous transport option in the Phoenix suburbs sometime in early December. Many details are reportedly still under wraps, but it would operate under a new brand and "directly" challenge ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft, right down to the pricing. It'd serve a roughly 100 square mile area and would initially rely on passengers from Waymo's Early Rider Program, but they would be free to talk about it take people from outside the program.
Waymo blames self-driving collision on pesky human
Waymo has admitted in a blog post that one of its test vehicles hit a motorcycle in Mountain View. The company has defended its technology in the post, though, clarifying that the event was caused by human error. Apparently, the test driver took control of the vehicle after seeing a passenger car to the left moving into their lane. Waymo says they moved the car to the right lane without noticing that a motorcycle had moved from behind to pass the test vehicle. The test car sustained minor damage, but the collision was unfortunately serious enough to send (PDF) the motorcyclist to the hospital.
Waymo can test fully driverless cars on California roads
Get ready to see mysteriously vacant cars roaming around California streets. The state DMV has granted Waymo a permit to test fully driverless vehicles (not even an observer) on public roads, making it the first company in the state to receive permission. The self-driving vehicles will travel around parts of Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale. Initial rides will carry Waymo employees, but the company eventually plans to offer trips to the general public like it did in Arizona.
Waymo details how emergency services should deal with self-driving incidents
Waymo has officially published guidelines cops and first responders can follow in case an autonomous car is involved in an accident. Without a human driver controlling the wheel, after all, there's nobody to ask license or information from. More importantly, authorities need to know how to safely pry open or deactivate self-driving vehicles if their passengers are unconscious and need help. The Alphabet-owned company submitted the guidelines to the California DMV back in May, and now you can read (PDF) the whole thing online.
After Math: Every robot was parkour fighting
What a week it's been! Between Google's Pixel 3 event, the lucky landing by the Soyuz crew, and Facebook's latest data breach, it feels like we almost didn't have time to talk about Waymo's self-driving cars, Amazon's new line of picker bots and Boston Dynamic's gymnastic droids. But that's where the After Math comes in.
Arizona is creating an autonomous vehicle research institute
Arizona, a state that has been quite open to self-driving technology, has now created the Institute for Automated Mobility (IAM), a consortium focused on autonomous vehicle research, safety and policy. Overseen by the Arizona Commerce Authority, IAM brings together the state's transportation and public safety departments, private industry and three state universities, which will work to develop industry standards and best practices in regards to self-driving technology.
Waymo’s self-driving vehicles have racked up 10 million miles
Autonomous vehicle company Waymo has just completed 10 million miles of testing on public roads -- and by the end of the month it'll have clocked up seven billion miles in its virtual world. In a press release, Waymo CEO John Krafcik said that while the company has made "great strides" in its history so far, "the next 10 million will focus on turning our advanced technology into a service that people will use and love."
