Google’s self-driving vehicle division says it’s bringing autonomous trucks to the Phoenix area.
Waymo announced Wednesday that its fully self-driving tractor-trailers will start driving on freeways this week and will expand to more routes over time.
Waymo’s self-driving passenger vehicles are ubiquitous in the eastern Phoenix and its suburbs, where the company conducts extensive testing and runs a taxi service.
The company says the big trucks use the same sensors as passenger vehicles but they’re configured differently. The testing will start with two drivers in each rig.
Companies including Uber and TuSimple have driven self-driving trucks on Arizona roads. Waymo says it tested trucks in Arizona in 2017.
Waymo and Google are both subsidiaries of Alphabet Inc., based in Mountain View, California.
Lyft partnership
Earlier this month, Waymo CEO John Krafcik announced a partnership with ride sharing firm Lyft, also in the Phoenix area.
“As a first step, we’ll deploy 10 Waymo vehicles on Lyft over the next few months,” Krafcik said.
“Once Waymo vehicles are on the platform, Lyft users in the area will have the option to select a Waymo directly from the Lyft app for eligible rides. This first step in our partnership will allow us to introduce the Waymo Driver to Lyft users, enabling them to take what for many will be their first ride in a self-driving vehicle. We’re committed to continuously improving our customer experience, and our partnership with Lyft will also give our teams the opportunity to collect valuable feedback.”
