"When Google's self-driving car project began testing in the Bay Area back in 2009, its engineers focused on highways by sending its sensor-laden vehicles cruising down Interstate 280, which runs the length of Silicon Valley's peninsula. More than 15 years later, the cars are back on the freeway—this time without drivers. On Tuesday, the project, now an Alphabet subsidiary we all know as Waymo, announced that its robotaxi service would now drive on freeways in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Phoenix."
"Waymo also announced Wednesday that it would begin curbside pickup and drop-off service at San Jose Mineta International Airport, allowing passengers to, theoretically, travel autonomously all the way from San Francisco to San Jose—a service area of some 260 square miles. Waymo has been offering its autonomous taxi service on area service roads since the summer of 2023, but the new freeway service could cut in half the time it takes for a robotaxi to travel from San Francisco to Mountain View"
Waymo returned to freeway driving in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Phoenix with fully driverless robotaxis after initial highway testing that began in 2009. The robotaxi service currently operates in five U.S. metropolitan areas and plans expansion next year to multiple U.S. and international cities including Dallas, Miami, Nashville, Las Vegas, Detroit, and London. Curbside pickup and drop-off at San Jose Mineta International Airport will enable autonomous trips across about 260 square miles. Freeway capability can halve some trip times, though highway emergencies are relatively rare, limiting real-world edge-case data.
Read at WIRED
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