Sixteen years ago, engineers working on Google’s self-driving project tested the first self-driving car on a freeway between Silicon Valley and San Francisco.
The company eventually became Waymo, and self-driving car testing expanded to include other cities. Eventually, the company launched commercial robotaxi services in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Other cities soon followed.
But the highway remains inaccessible despite early tests. Until today.
Waymo announced Wednesday that it will begin offering robotaxis on freeways in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. This is a significant expansion for the company, which claims it can reduce ride times by up to 50%. This statistic could help attract a whole new group of users who need to travel between the many towns and suburbs within the San Francisco Bay Area or shorten their commute across the vast Los Angeles and Phoenix metropolitan areas.
Highway use is also essential to providing transportation to the San Francisco airport, which Waymo is currently testing.
The service will not initially be available to all Waymo users, the company said. Waymo riders who want to experience a freeway ride can note their preferences in the Waymo app. The company says when a passenger calls for a ride, they may be matched with a ride on the highway.
Waymo said its robotaxi route will be extended to San Jose, an expansion that will create a unified 260-mile service area across the peninsula. The company also announced it will begin offering curbside drop-off and pickup service at San Jose Mineta International Airport. It already offers curbside service to Sky Harbor Phoenix International Airport.
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“Highway driving is one of those things that’s very easy to learn, but when you’re talking about fully autonomous driving and large-scale driving without a human driver as backup, it’s very difficult to master,” Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov said in a press conference with reporters. “We focused on the safety and reliability of the system, and it took time to get it right.”
Waymo robotaxis have been spotted on highways for several months. TechCrunch test drove it last year in the Phoenix area, including on the freeway. The company has been offering trips to employees for more than a year. We have also expanded our tests to include closed courses and simulations.
While many people think highway driving is easy, highways come with their own unique challenges, Pierre Kreitman, principal software engineer, said at a recent conference. He noted that the infrequency of critical events on highways means there are fewer opportunities to expose Waymo’s self-driving system to rare scenarios and prove how the system behaves when it really matters. The company chose to enhance its on-road driving with a combination of closed-course and simulation tests.
Extensive testing and validation of the software was conducted to ensure the vehicle moves smoothly and safely between highways and roadways, recognizing and adapting to the unique conditions of the surrounding roads, Kreitman said.
Waymo also expanded its operating protocols now that its robotaxis are operating on highways, including how it works with safety authorities like the California Highway Patrol.
