Waymo – Page 2 – Impact Lab

Automation, Automobiles, Science & Technology News, Self-driving Cars

Waymo picks Detroit factory for self-driving fleet, to be operational by mid-2019

April 26, 2019

Waymo CEO John Krafcik speaks on stage during the annual Google I/O developers conference in Mountain View, California, May 8, 2018. REUTERS/Stephen Lam

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s Waymo said on Tuesday it had chosen a factory in Detroit to mass produce self-driving cars, looking to the historical heart of the auto industry to build the vehicles of the future.

The company’s chief executive, John Krafcik, said in a blog post that Waymo would partner with American Axle & Manufacturing to lease and repurpose an existing Detroit facility that will be operational by mid-2019.

Waymo said in January it had chosen Michigan for its first production facility, adding it would receive incentives from the public-private partnership agency, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and create up to 400 jobs over time exclusively related to self driving.

Continue reading… “Waymo picks Detroit factory for self-driving fleet, to be operational by mid-2019”

Automobiles, Driverless cars, Driverless vehicles, Science & Technology News

Self Driving cars have the driving part down. It’s sharing the road with humans that’s hard

March 29, 2019

In the not-too-distant future, Americans will be sharing the road with self-driving cars. Companies are pouring billions of dollars into developing self-driving vehicles. Waymo, formerly the Google self-driving-car project, says that its self-driving cars have already driven millions of miles on the open road.

In the not-too-distant past, beer has already been delivered by a robot truck in Colorado, so this shouldn’t seem so far fetched.

Continue reading… “Self Driving cars have the driving part down. It’s sharing the road with humans that’s hard”

Automation, Automobiles, Science & Technology News, Self-driving Cars

Driverless cars ‘don’t make business sense’

March 26, 2019

The Waymo car (above), formerly the Google self-driving car project, at the Las Vegas Convention Center during the annual trade show CES earlier this year. Companies such as Google and Uber have spent billions of dollars developing driverless vehicles.

Developing fully autonomous cars will take another five years and is an expensive undertaking with no clear returns, says Volkswagen’s head of commercial vehicles.

GENEVA • Fully autonomous vehicles will take at least another five years to perfect, with the cost and complexity of rolling out the technology globally serving to undermine the business case, Volkswagen’s head of commercial vehicles said.

Continue reading… “Driverless cars ‘don’t make business sense’”

Alternative Transportation, Driverless cars, Google, Transportation

People are attacking Waymo’s self-driving cars in Arizona by slashing tires and, in some cases, pulling guns on the safety drivers

December 16, 2018

Waymo self-driving cars in Arizona have had their tires slashed, and some of the vehicles’ safety drivers have had guns pulled on them, the Arizona Republic reports.
Twenty-one instances of people attacking Waymo cars have been recorded, according to the Arizona Republic, citing police reports.
It’s a fraction of overall traffic incidents — but the instances highlight a common fear people have about tech innovations. Continue reading… “People are attacking Waymo’s self-driving cars in Arizona by slashing tires and, in some cases, pulling guns on the safety drivers”

Automation, Automobiles, Driverless vehicles, Google, Transportation

Alphabet’s Waymo unveils its first commercial driverless taxi service: Waymo One

December 14, 2018

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Alphabet’s self-driving car unit Waymo today took a huge step toward launching its first public self-driving taxi service.

Waymo has been testing a driverless car service in Phoenix for a while already, but today the company officially lifted the lid on its first commercial service that riders can actually pay for.

Waymo One, as the service is called, will work much like Uber and other popular ride-hailing apps. After Waymo One gives you a price estimate based on your starting and end points, you can beckon a car that will transport you from A to B.

However, Waymo One isn’t yet available for everyone. Initially, only riders who were involved in the early stages of the trial program will have access, though plans are afoot to extend the service to more people in the future.

Continue reading… “Alphabet’s Waymo unveils its first commercial driverless taxi service: Waymo One”

Alternative Transportation, Automobiles, Driverless cars, Transportation

A day in the life of a Waymo self-driving taxi

August 25, 2018

Waymo is ready to start charging for its self-driving trips, but first, it needs to master the dreaded art of fleet management.

In a nondescript depot in suburban Arizona, the future of transportation is getting a tune-up. This is where Waymo, the self-driving unit of Google parent Alphabet, houses its growing fleet of self-driving cars: hundreds of Chrysler Pacifica minivans fitted with highly advanced hardware and software that enables them to safely ride on public roads without a human driver behind the wheel.

For over a year, Waymo has been offering trips to the 400-plus members of its Early Rider program who use Waymo’s ride-hailing app to summon the minivans for free trips to school, the mall, the gym, or elsewhere within its suburban Phoenix service area. Soon, Waymo will make that service available to the general public and it will start charging money for it, too. At the outset, the company plans on offering fully autonomous rides with a Waymo employee in the car only as a chaperone. And when that happens, it will make history as the first fully driverless taxi service in the world.

Continue reading… “A day in the life of a Waymo self-driving taxi”

Automation, Driverless vehicles, Food, Shopping

Kroger rolls out driverless cars for grocery deliveries

August 20, 2018

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — At a time when big-box retailers are trying to offer the same conveniences as their online competitors, the biggest U.S. grocery chain is testing the use of driverless cars to deliver groceries in a Phoenix suburb.

Kroger’s pilot program launched Thursday morning with a robotic vehicle parked outside one of its own Fry’s supermarkets in Scottsdale. A store clerk loaded the back seat with full grocery bags. A man was in the driver’s seat and another was in the front passenger seat with a laptop. Both were there to monitor the car’s performance.

Continue reading… “Kroger rolls out driverless cars for grocery deliveries”

Automobiles, Driverless cars, Employment, government, Science & Technology News

Ireland could gain 100,000 jobs by embracing driverless technology

June 2, 2018

A Waymo self-driving vehicle is parked outside the Alphabet company’s offices where its been testing autonomous vehicles in Arizona.

New study calls on Goverment to take active role in making most of opportunities present.

As many as 100,000 high-end direct and indirect jobs could be created in Ireland by 2030 as driverless cars become the norm, a new report claims.

The study suggests the State has the potential to become a leading global hub for companies developing connected and autonomous vehicle technology.

Continue reading… “Ireland could gain 100,000 jobs by embracing driverless technology”

Automobiles, Driverless cars, Driverless vehicles, Transportation

Self-driving cars with “remote” drivers could test on Calif roads in April: DMV

March 5, 2018

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Self-driving cars that back up their computerized system with a remote human operator instead of a fallback driver at the wheel could be tested on California roads as early as April, the state department of motor vehicles said.

Continue reading… “Self-driving cars with “remote” drivers could test on Calif roads in April: DMV”