Waymo, the self-driving vehicle unit of Google parent company Alphabet (GOOGL), has begun offering highway/freeway robotaxi rides in the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, Arizona.
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In a written statement, Alphabet trumpeted the freeway robotaxi rides as a major milestone for Waymo, the driverless, ride-hailing business. Waymo said its robotaxis will take to the highways in San Francisco, Phoenix and L.A. “when a freeway route is meaningfully faster.”
This is the first time that Waymo’s self-driving vehicles will take public riders on freeways that have higher speed limits. The sister company of Google adds that it plans to expand its robotaxi highway trips to more riders and locations over the next year as it grows beyond shuttling people around city streets.
Maximum Speed
Waymo’s vehicles are programmed to travel up to a freeway’s maximum speed limit, which is typically 65 miles per hour. However, the robotaxis can go a few miles over the speed limit in extraordinary circumstances or to avoid crashes.
Waymo stresses that it has been testing its self-driving robotaxis on U.S. highways for more than a decade, in addition to testing them on public roads and closed courses. The new freeway operations have required coordination with safety officials at the California Highway Patrol and the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Is GOOGL Stock a Buy?
The stock of Alphabet has a consensus Strong Buy rating among 37 Wall Street analysts. That rating is based on 30 Buy and seven Hold recommendations issued in the last three months. The average GOOGL price target of $312.29 implies 9.81% upside from current levels.
