Latest news with #GoogleSelf-DrivingCarProject
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Los Angeles Times
Waymo expands service area in Los Angeles and San Francisco
Waymo, the autonomous taxi company that's offered rides in Los Angeles since November, is expanding its service area in the city. Starting Wednesday, the driverless taxis will roam more than 120 square miles of Los Angeles County, stretching from Santa Monica to downtown and from West Hollywood to Inglewood. The expanded service area will include Playa del Rey, Ladera Heights, Echo Park, Silver Lake and the entirety of Sunset Boulevard, according to company spokesperson Chris Bonelli. Customers using the ride-hailing service will also be able to take Waymo vehicles directly from Mid-City to Inglewood and Westchester via La Cienega Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, Bonelli said. The vehicles began testing on Los Angeles freeways early this year. Waymo's fleet of electric Jaguars has become a common sight in Los Angeles, where anyone can download the app and request a ride. Before coming to Southern California, Waymo launched in Phoenix and San Francisco, where collectively the vehicles have driven tens of thousands of riders more than 30 million miles without a human driver. Waymo provides more than 250,000 paid rides per week. Waymo vehicles rely on cameras, sensors and a type of laser radar called lidar to operate autonomously. Based on data collected by Waymo, their driverless vehicles had 81% fewer airbag deployment crashes, 78% fewer injury-causing crashes and 62% fewer police-reported crashes than traditional vehicles driving the same distance. The company got its start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, which began in 2009 and put its first autonomous car on the road in 2015. The project rebranded as Waymo in 2016 under Google's parent company Alphabet and launched its driverless ride-hailing service known as Waymo One in 2020. Waymo One is poised to expand to Miami, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Customers in Austin, Texas, can request a Waymo through the Uber app. Also starting Wednesday, Bay Area riders will have expanded access to the San Francisco Peninsula, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Menlo Park. Waymo One will be made available to customers in South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae and Burlingame. Waymo's expansion in Los Angeles comes just days after several of the autonomous vehicles were vandalized and set on fire during anti-ICE protests downtown.
Japan Today
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- Japan Today
Toyota starts collaborating with self-driving leader Waymo on autonomous cars
By Yuri Kageyama Japan's top automaker Toyota announced a partnership with U.S. autonomous driving technology company Waymo on Wednesday. The move was somewhat anticipated, as the use of such technology speeds up around the world, and Toyota Motor Corp. has been aggressive about its intention to stay on top of such advances. 'Toyota is committed to realizing a society with zero traffic accidents and becoming a mobility company that delivers mobility for all. We share a strong sense of purpose and a common vision with Waymo in advancing safety through automated driving technology,' Toyota Executive Vice President Hiroki Nakajima said in a statement. Waymo, which started out as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, now offers fully autonomous ride-hailing services in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin, and is rolling them out in other U.S. cities. It also has a partnership with ride-hailing leader Uber. Toyota has built a city, complete with streets and housing, near Mount Fuji called Woven City to test robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. The maker of the Camry sedan and Lexus luxury models tends to be very cautious about rolling out auto technology, seeking to protect its reputation as a safe and environmentally conscious manufacturer. Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO at Waymo, said partners were key to winning trust. 'This requires global partners like Toyota that share our commitment to improving road safety and expanding accessible transportation,' Mawakana said. Details of the terms of the deal were not disclosed. Both sides said they were still exploring how their collaboration might develop into actual products. Although there are various test versions of fully autonomous vehicles in Japan, they are for now limited to certain restricted areas. Other companies and automakers are working on similar services, including public transportation. © Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
30-04-2025
- Automotive
Japan's Toyota starts collaborating with self-driving leader Waymo on autonomous cars
TOKYO -- Japan's top automaker Toyota announced a partnership with U.S. autonomous driving technology company Waymo on Wednesday. The move was somewhat anticipated, as the use of such technology speeds up around the world, and Toyota Motor Corp. has been aggressive about its intention to stay on top of such advances. 'Toyota is committed to realizing a society with zero traffic accidents and becoming a mobility company that delivers mobility for all. We share a strong sense of purpose and a common vision with Waymo in advancing safety through automated driving technology,' Toyota Executive Vice President Hiroki Nakajima said in a statement. Waymo, which started out as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, now offers fully autonomous ride-hailing services in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin, and is rolling them out in other U.S. cities. It also has a partnership with ride-hailing leader Uber. Toyota has built a city, complete with streets and housing, near Mount Fuji called Woven City to test robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. The maker of the Camry sedan and Lexus luxury models tends to be very cautious about rolling out auto technology, seeking to protect its reputation as a safe and environmentally conscious manufacturer. Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO at Waymo, said partners were key to winning trust. 'This requires global partners like Toyota that share our commitment to improving road safety and expanding accessible transportation,' Mawakana said. Details of the terms of the deal were not disclosed. Both sides said they were still exploring how their collaboration might develop into actual products. Although there are various test versions of fully autonomous vehicles in Japan, they are for now limited to certain restricted areas. , including public transportation.
The Mainichi
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Mainichi
Japan's Toyota starts collaborating with self-driving leader Waymo on autonomous cars
TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's top automaker Toyota announced a partnership with U.S. autonomous driving technology company Waymo on Wednesday. The move was somewhat anticipated, as the use of such technology speeds up around the world, and Toyota Motor Corp. has been aggressive about its intention to stay on top of such advances. "Toyota is committed to realizing a society with zero traffic accidents and becoming a mobility company that delivers mobility for all. We share a strong sense of purpose and a common vision with Waymo in advancing safety through automated driving technology," Toyota Executive Vice President Hiroki Nakajima said in a statement. Waymo, which started out as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, now offers fully autonomous ride-hailing services in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin, and is rolling them out in other U.S. cities. It also has a partnership with ride-hailing leader Uber. Toyota has built a city, complete with streets and housing, near Mount Fuji called Woven City to test robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. The maker of the Camry sedan and Lexus luxury models tends to be very cautious about rolling out auto technology, seeking to protect its reputation as a safe and environmentally conscious manufacturer. Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO at Waymo, said partners were key to winning trust. "This requires global partners like Toyota that share our commitment to improving road safety and expanding accessible transportation," Mawakana said. Details of the terms of the deal were not disclosed. Both sides said they were still exploring how their collaboration might develop into actual products. Although there are various test versions of fully autonomous vehicles in Japan, they are for now limited to certain restricted areas. Other companies and automakers are working on similar services, including public transportation.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Japan's Toyota starts collaborating with self-driving leader Waymo on autonomous cars
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's top automaker Toyota announced a partnership with U.S. autonomous driving technology company Waymo on Wednesday. The move was somewhat anticipated, as the use of such technology speeds up around the world, and Toyota Motor Corp. has been aggressive about its intention to stay on top of such advances. 'Toyota is committed to realizing a society with zero traffic accidents and becoming a mobility company that delivers mobility for all. We share a strong sense of purpose and a common vision with Waymo in advancing safety through automated driving technology,' Toyota Executive Vice President Hiroki Nakajima said in a statement. Waymo, which started out as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, now offers fully autonomous ride-hailing services in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin, and is rolling them out in other U.S. cities. It also has a partnership with ride-hailing leader Uber. Toyota has built a city, complete with streets and housing, near Mount Fuji called Woven City to test robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. The maker of the Camry sedan and Lexus luxury models tends to be very cautious about rolling out auto technology, seeking to protect its reputation as a safe and environmentally conscious manufacturer. Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO at Waymo, said partners were key to winning trust. 'This requires global partners like Toyota that share our commitment to improving road safety and expanding accessible transportation,' Mawakana said. Details of the terms of the deal were not disclosed. Both sides said they were still exploring how their collaboration might develop into actual products. Although there are various test versions of fully autonomous vehicles in Japan, they are for now limited to certain restricted areas. Other companies and automakers are working on similar services, including public transportation. ___ Yuri Kageyama is on Threads:
