Waymo Will Finally Let Its Cars Take The Freeway

"The future of self-driving just hit the fast laneliterally. Waymo is officially letting its robotaxis hop onto freeways in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix, marking the first time that the company's fully autonomous cars can merge, cruise and exit at highway speeds with the public in the back seat. In other words: Waymo thinks its autonomous cars can do the most nerve-racking, stress-inducing part of your morning commute."

"The rollout is starting slow. Only select trips will be able to use freeways at first, but riders in all three cities will eventually get the chance to zip down highways as part of their routes. The cars will be able to travel up to the posted speed limits, which in some of these areas is up to 65 MPH. CNBC says that Waymo confirmed that its cars will be able to exceed this limit "for safety purposes in extraordinary circumstances.""

"Company officials are already working on coordinating efforts with both the Arizona Department of Public Safety and California Highway Patrol to increase safety. Expanded operation protocols are being put in place internally and with both agencies to cope with the expanded operational design domain, as is charging infrastructure for its fleet of battery-powered cars. Waymo's co-CEO, Dmitri Dolgov, called it a "profound engineering feat.""

Waymo is permitting fully autonomous robotaxis to use freeways in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, enabling merges, highway cruising, and exits with passengers aboard. The rollout will begin with select trips and expand to cover riders across all three cities. Vehicles will follow posted speed limits—up to 65 MPH in some areas—and may exceed limits "for safety purposes in extraordinary circumstances." Company officials are coordinating with the Arizona Department of Public Safety and California Highway Patrol and implementing expanded operational protocols and charging infrastructure to support the broader operational design domain. Company leadership described the capability as a profound engineering feat given high-speed traffic complexities.

Read at insideevs.com