Waymo announced on Wednesday that it will launch its driverless taxi service in four new U.S. cities over the coming weeks, further solidifying its lead over domestic rivals like Tesla and Zoox.
The new service cities are San Diego, Las Vegas, Tampa in Florida, and Denver. Waymo stated that the service will initially be available to Alphabet employees before gradually expanding to the general public. The company first disclosed its expansion plans for these cities last year.
Waymo currently operates driverless vehicles in more than 10 cities across the United States. While Tesla and Zoox are also slowly advancing into new markets—Zoox plans to open its service to some members of the public in Austin, Texas, and Miami this year, and Tesla is extending its operations from Austin to other parts of Texas and Miami—Waymo maintains a clear lead in terms of start time and operational scale.
According to documents Waymo submitted to U.S. auto safety regulators, as of May, its domestic fleet consisted of approximately 4,000 driverless taxis equipped with its fifth- and sixth-generation autonomous driving systems.
This expansion announcement comes as Waymo also faces new challenges from operating a large number of vehicles on public roads. After extreme weather, some vehicles were reported entering flooded roadways. During Independence Day celebrations in San Francisco, multiple driverless vehicles ran out of battery due to prolonged traffic congestion, and another vehicle was photographed driving into an area where fireworks were being set off.
In February of this year, Waymo raised $16 billion in funding from Alphabet and other investors. The company plans to launch service in London this year as its first overseas market. To date, Waymo has completed over 20 million autonomous rides and aims to reach 1 million weekly rides by the end of the year.
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