Waymo

Wie bereits seit längerem bekannt, will Waymo noch dieses Jahr aus seinem Phoenix-Test (welcher vor einem Jahr startete) den ersten regulären, also für alle verfügbaren Robotaxi-Dienst machen. Im Dezember soll es nun losgehen.

Das interessanteste Detail, das nun über Bloomberg an die Öffentlichkeit kam, ist, dass der Dienst nicht unter Waymo sondern unter einem neuen, eigenen Namen firmieren wird:

Waymo, the secretive subsidiary of Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc., is planning to launch the world’s first commercial driverless car service in early December, according to a person familiar with the plans. It will operate under a new brand and compete directly with Uber and Lyft.

Waymo is keeping the new name a closely guarded secret until the formal announcement, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been made public.

Bloomberg berichtet lesenswert über eine der Testfamilien in Phoenix, die Waymo im Alltag in einem Test-Programm einsetzen; Ende des Jahres soll Waymos Angebot in Phoenix verfügbar werden:

The Jackson family, along with some 400 neighbors in their Phoenix suburb, are volunteers in an ongoing test of Waymo’s autonomous ride-hailing business, which is expected to launch for paying passengers in the area by the end of the year. The Jacksons, who Waymo made available for this story, have largely ditched their own cars and now use self-driving vehicles to go almost everywhere within the 100 square-mile operating area: track practice, grocery shopping, movies, the train station. […]

Access to robotaxis has even managed to convince this 17-year-old to put off an American rite of passage: getting her driver’s license.