Waymo said on Monday it will launch its robotaxi service in Las Vegas, San Diego and Detroit next year, marking its biggest geographic expansion.
The Alphabet unit will also start driving its new Zeekr-built vehicles this week, alongside its existing Jaguar I-Pace fleet, it said.
The new Zeekr model, developed with Chinese carmaker Geely, is designed specifically for robotaxi use and will be rolled out gradually as the company expands its service.
Companies including Waymo, Tesla and Amazon’s Zoox are investing billions into self-driving technology.
Tesla launched its long-awaited robotaxi service earlier this year, while Waymo operates driverless services in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin and has completed more than 10-million trips.
Waymo plans to launch the service in Las Vegas next summer. In San Diego it is working with local officials and first responders to secure deployment permits.
In Detroit the company said its winter weather testing in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has strengthened its ability to operate year-round, where it has long maintained engineering operations.
Reuters
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