Waymo will begin testing its autonomous vehicles in a new region of the country. Now that the cars have explored the streets of Arizona, California, Michigan, Texas, and Washington, Waymo is expanding to Georgia.
The autonomous tech company, which spun off from Google’s self-driving car project, will test its vehicles in the metro Atlanta area. The expansion was announced in a Tweet on Monday.
Hello ATL! Metro Atlanta is the next stop for Waymo’s test program. Now that we have the world’s first fully self-driving vehicles on public roads in AZ, we’re looking to take our tech to more cities. pic.twitter.com/YFLvxkVMMd
— Waymo (@Waymo) January 22, 2018
As of November 2017, Waymo has logged more than 4 million miles on public roads and billions of miles in simulation. Initially, a driver always sat behind the wheel, but now the company is testing some fully self-driving vehicles without that backup on public roads in the Phoenix metro region of Arizona. An early rider program that began last year in the area has given the public an opportunity to experience the company’s self-driving Chrysler Pacificas.
Atlanta is a major hub for technology and innovation, and a natural fit for Waymo’s testing program. Thanks to @GovernorDeal for the warm welcome!
— Waymo (@Waymo) January 22, 2018
Waymo’s autonomous vehicles will have to tackle high levels of traffic in Atlanta, considering the city is the ninth most congested metro area in the world, according to the Inrix Traffic Scorecard. That said, they already have experience driving along the streets of San Francisco. The area also experiences about 50 inches of rainfall each year, making it a good test ground for less-than-ideal weather situations. The vehicles will deploy once Waymo is finished mapping the Atlanta area with a human driven vehicle, reports Automotive News.
Source: Waymo, Automotive News (Subscription required)