Waymo gets the green light to test fully driverless cars in California

Waymo, the self-driving unit of Google parent Alphabet, has been granted permission to operate fully without drivers in California. The company is the first to receive a driverless license in the state.

Waymo will drive its drivers to the neighborhoods of Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, and Palo Alto. "We know this area well," the company said in a statement, noting it includes its own headquarters (housed within Google's X lab) as well as Alphabet's main campus. If it seeks to expand its testing, Waymo says it will notify the new communities first and get permission from the DMV.

Waymo 's permits, including rural roads, highways, and highways. "Our vehicles can safely handle the weather, and testing in those conditions is included in our permit," the company says. "We are going to have limited testing and we will be able to expand our business in this area."

Waymo will not offer rides to the public right off the bat; The company is close to launching its first commercial taxi service using its fleet of autonomous minivans in Phoenix, Arizona. "Eventually, we'll be creating opportunities for this technology, as we've done in Arizona with our early rider program," Waymo says.

California began accepting applications for full driverless testing on the internet. Among the many provisions, the new rules, the pedals, the mirrors, and the human drivers behind the wheel to be tested on its roads.

"California has been working towards this milestone for several years," said California DMV director Jean Shiomoto in a statement.

California, United States, United States of America, United States of America, Waymo, and Uber There are currently 60 companies testing almost 300 licensed vehicles that are licensed to the DMV, officials said.

Driverless testing permits holders must also report any collisions involving a driverless testing vehicle to the DMV within 10 days and submit an annual report of disengagements. Arizona, which is the only state that allows Waymo to operate fully driverless vehicles, requires no such disclosures.