Google’s Waymo gets permit to test autonomous cars in New York City
Google-owned Waymo is going to begin testing its autonomous vehicles in the busiest city in the US: New York.
The company received a permit to test up to eight self-driving cars — with a trained AV specialist behind the wheel but not actively driving — in parts of Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn, The Wall Street Journal reports. Waymo is the first company to receive such permission.
Waymo, which is already operating its autonomous ride-hailing service in several cities across the country — including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Austin — applied for the permits in June and began collecting data with human drivers operating the vehicle in the city in July.
The Journal report says Waymo will be able to test through late September and can apply for an extension.
Recently, competitor Tesla started hiring robotaxi test drivers in the city, but had not yet applied for autonomous permits. Tesla operates an autonomous ride-hailing service in Austin (with a supervisor in the passenger seat), and a more traditional ride-hailing service in the Bay Area.
Waymo, which is already operating its autonomous ride-hailing service in several cities across the country — including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Austin — applied for the permits in June and began collecting data with human drivers operating the vehicle in the city in July.
The Journal report says Waymo will be able to test through late September and can apply for an extension.
Recently, competitor Tesla started hiring robotaxi test drivers in the city, but had not yet applied for autonomous permits. Tesla operates an autonomous ride-hailing service in Austin (with a supervisor in the passenger seat), and a more traditional ride-hailing service in the Bay Area.
