Waymo gets California green light for public driverless tests

It is the first company to be given the green light for such trials in the state – and it means there will be no test driver sitting in the driver’s seat.

The permit includes day and night testing on city streets, rural roads and highways with speed limits of up to 65mph.

Waymo insists: “Our vehicles can safely handle fog and light rain, and testing in those conditions is included in our permit. We will gradually begin driverless testing on city streets in a limited territory and, over time, expand the area that we drive in as we gain confidence and experience to expand.”

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (3785 DMV) licence gives the company permission to drive in the Bay Area between San Francisco and San Jose, near where Waymo has its HQ.

It includes parts of Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Palo Alto.

In a %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external statement false https://medium.com/waymo/a-green-light-for-waymos-driverless-testing-in-california-a87ec336d657 false false%>, the company says: “Mountain View is home to more than a dozen autonomous vehicle companies, and has supported safe testing for years. Prior to expanding the territory for driverless testing, we will notify the new communities where this expansion will occur, and submit a request to the DMV.”

Waymo was given a licence for similar tests in Phoenix, Arizona in 2017. The first riders in the Bay Area cars will be Waymo staff – but, as in Arizona, Waymo plans to have an %$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 4 30764 0 link-external early rider programme false /sections/nafta/news/waymo-announces-early-rider-program/ false false%> in California to “create opportunities for members of the public to experience this technology”.