Waymo Puts L.A. on the Robo Map
Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo self-driving car is mapping high-traffic areas of Los Angeles to help determine if the city would be conducive for future robo-taxi applications.
Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo self-driving car is mapping high-traffic areas of Los Angeles to help determine if the city would be conducive for future robo-taxi applications.
![](https://d2n4wb9orp1vta.cloudfront.net/cms/brand/ABG/evergreen-images/los-angeles-getty.jpg;maxWidth=385)
Three of Waymo’s modified Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans will create detailed high-definition 3D maps of L.A.’s roads, including the popular “Miracle Mile” section, and surrounding landscape. The vehicles will be driven by Waymo employees.
Waymo—which has tested its self-driving vehicles elsewhere in California (San Francisco and Silicon Valley) and Arizona, Michigan, Florida and Washington—has no immediate plans to do so in LA. The company launched its first for-pay autonomous shuttle service (with a backup driver onboard) last December in California.
The company’s permit in California would allow it to operate self-driving cars in L.A. But local regulations that require some shared mobility providers to share data with the city could present a hurdle, media reports note.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Startup Readies Solar-Powered EV
Germany’s Sono Motors GmbH says it has received 5,000 orders for its upcoming Sion electric car, which can be partially recharged by it attached solar panels.
-
Toyota Finds a Mystery in Occupant Safety for Self-Driving Vehicles
Toyota Motor Co. says its study of how people in self-driving cars react to a near crash proves it will take far more research to improve the safety of occupants in such vehicles, Automotive News reports.
-
Operator of Uber Self-Driving Car Wasn't Watching Before Fatal Crash
In-car video shows that the backup pilot of an Uber Technologies self-driving car was not watching the road just before the vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian last Sunday night.