Jan Becker’s Post

In a recent episode of No Priors, Dmitri Dolgov, Co-CEO of Waymo, engaged in an insightful discussion with hosts Sarah Guo and Elad Gil about the transformative journey of Waymo's self-driving technology. Dolgov detailed the evolution of this technology from its inception at Google to its practical applications today. He emphasized the significant technological breakthroughs that have been essential for achieving full autonomy and highlighted the design innovations present in Waymo's sixth-generation driverless cars. The conversation also delved into Waymo's strategic approach to scaling its operations, particularly in the face of regulatory challenges. Deployment efforts in urban areas such as Phoenix and San Francisco were examined, along with the potential ramifications of autonomous driving on car ownership and urban infrastructure. Key themes included the historical context of self-driving at Google, early challenges faced, safety evaluations, and the importance of building regulatory trust. The discussion also touched on evolving urban mobility trends and the future role of traditional OEMs in the autonomous vehicle landscape. #AutonomousDriving #Waymo #Innovation #UrbanMobility #TechnologyTrends ---------------------- Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/enQ_zWiu

Waymo 🤖 🚘 has closed funding round of $5.6 billion, led by Alphabet Inc., with continued participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Fidelity, Perry Creek Capital, Silver Lake, Tiger Global Management, and T. Rowe Price. The new funding round bringing #Waymo valuation to an estimated $30 billion. #Waymo has raised $2.25 billion in 2020 and $2.5 billion in 2021. However, the valuation has not changed owing to rising operating cost. It currently completes 100,000 robotaxi rides each week, operating its autonomous vehicle services primarily in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Waymo’s valuation could potentially rise to $50 billion or more in the next few years, particularly if it scales to additional cities and increases its service frequency. #autonomous #robotaxi #autonomousvehicles https://lnkd.in/gCYf5z5c https://lnkd.in/ggYURXzk

I'm thrilled to share that we've officially launched the #Waymo Safety Impact data Hub, the result of our team's hard work and dedication over the past months  – https://lnkd.in/d5ximj3E. We work hard to bring you peer-reviewed publications and open data, entrusting the scientific method to build trust.  Waymo is already making roads safer in places where we operate, and our new data hub enables more in-depth analysis of Waymo's safety performance. Note that safety is more than a single metric, and our strong safety record is a result of multiple methodologies working together in our safety case — from hazard analysis and scenario-based testing to collision avoidance and real-world performance monitoring. Just like different instruments in the orchestra, each methodology contributes its unique "voice" to the overall evaluation of safety.  The outcome? Over 22M miles driven through June 2024, the Waymo Driver has been involved in 84% fewer crashes with airbag deployment, 73% fewer injury-causing crashes, and 48% fewer police-reported crashes compared to human drivers. Kristofer Kusano John Scanlon, Ph.D. https://lnkd.in/dD-H_-yh https://lnkd.in/d5ximj3E https://lnkd.in/dAswNxgy

🚘✨ Experiencing the Future: My First Waymo Ride! 🌱🌟 When my aunt visited from Copenhagen, I wanted to give her a unique San Francisco experience—something that captures the essence of innovation. What better way than a ride into the future? We booked a Waymo, and the look on her face when the electric, driverless JLR I-PACE arrived was priceless! "Is this really happening or am I in a scene from Minority Report?” she whispered, squeezing my hand as we stepped up to the car. That blend of excitement and nervousness summed up my own emotions perfectly. With a quick app tap, I unlocked our ride and even queued up my playlist—because futuristic tech deserves a soundtrack! 🎵 What amazed me most was how fast the initial "wow, this is sci-fi!" moment transformed into the ordinary. In minutes, we were discussing lunch plans as our autonomous car navigated the city with ease. It reminded me of what someone once said: "For the first few minutes, there's a rush of excitement. But soon, people just relax into it." As a high school student passionate about tech and sustainability, this ride was more than a cool experience; it was a vision of what's possible. Looking back at my photos and videos 📸, I don’t just see a driverless car; I see a bridge connecting generations, cultures, and endless possibilities. Would you trust a driverless car for your next adventure? 🤔 #Waymo #Innovation #FutureOfTransport #SustainableTech #StudentPerspective #SanFrancisco #TechExperience #AI #NextGeneration

A Window Into The Autonomous Future. Last weekend, we had the chance to experience Waymo's fully autonomous service in San Francisco. Throughout the 25-minute ride to Oracle Park we were struck by the service's ease, ubiquity, and comfort. Waymo's service, which stretches across the entirety of SF, Daly City, Colma, and Broadmoor, operates 24/7 and is the culmination of 15+ years of Alphabet investment. It's a testament to the capital intensity of autonomy, the industry's progress to date, and a peak into the future of transportation in cities. This week, Waymo plans to start testing its service on Bay Area highways. Read more from TechCrunch here: https://lnkd.in/gqv4KANc

Planned expansion of Waymo service sees mixed reactions - CBS News: Planned expansion of Waymo service sees mixed reactions  CBS News #car #cars #awesome

Technology fails This one gave me a certain amount of schadenfreude...all the honking you'd expect on a normal day in traffic in New York without the flurry of extended middle fingers...LOL - https://lnkd.in/gfSpFeWw #ai #technology #mobility #waymo #thefundraisingangel MONEYWATCH Waymo's driverless cars honk at each other, waking neighbors By Megan Cerullo Edited By Anne Marie Lee Updated on: August 14, 2024 / 3:21 PM EDT / CBS News Waymo driverless cars are coming alive at night, honking at each other and waking residents around the San Francisco parking lot where they sit when not making trips. The driverless taxi company has rented a lot outside of an apartment building for the cars to idle in, but the vehicles appear to be honking at each other, as they are trained to do on the road when other cars get close to them. Randol White, who witnessed the honking activity, told CBS News that he heard "a pair of honks" on Wednesday around 4:30 a.m. Pacific time. He added that according to his neighbors, "peak honk" took place around 4:00 a.m. Waymo attributed the disruptive honking to a feature designed to avoid collisions. "We recently introduced a useful feature to help avoid low-speed collisions by honking if other cars get too close while reversing toward us," the company said in a statement to CBS News. "It has been working great in the city, but we didn't quite anticipate it would happen so often in our own parking lots." Waymo added that it has updated the software that causes the cars to honk "so our electric vehicles should keep the noise down for our neighbors moving forward." Video posted by White of more than two dozen cars all in the same lot, with some honking at each other, has circulated on social media. In his caption, White commented that he would have found the scene funny if it weren't taking place at 4 a.m. Software engineer Sophia Tung has set up a livestream of the lot on YouTube, telling The Verge that she likes watching the cars "come and go" but wishes they would stop honking at each other. Waymo's taxi service is currently available to anyone who download's the company's app in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Waymo begins offering robotaxi rides on San Francisco freeways to employees by Tim Fang via Home - CBS San Francisco ([Global] autonomous oracle) URL: https://ift.tt/URTPwBS Less than one week after expanding robotaxi service outside San Francisco, Waymo announced that its autonomous vehicles will begin using the city's freeways. The company announced on social media on Monday that the company's employees can take trips using freeways, following successful tests in Arizona. "After successful testing of our autonomous vehicles on Phoenix freeways, we're expanding our operations. Starting today, our employees will also have access to fully autonomous rides on San Francisco freeways," Waymo posted on X (formerly Twitter). After successful testing of our autonomous vehicles on Phoenix freeways, we're expanding our operations. Starting today, our employees will also have access to fully autonomous rides on San Francisco freeways. pic.twitter.com/DzGdEgkm1U — Waymo (@Waymo) August 12, 2024 In its post, the company touted significant time savings on a hyopthetical ride between Lake Merced and Oracle Park. Last week, Waymo announced the company would begin offering robotaxi rides beyond San Francisco to the Peninsula communities of Daly City, Broadmoor and Colma. In total, the company covers 55 square miles in the region. The move has been met with some opposition to leaders in San Mateo County, who said Waymo gave them little notice. Leaders on the Peninsula are backing a measure that would let local governments regulate autonomous vehicles. The company did not say when freeway trips would be offered to the public. CBS News Bay Area has reached out to Waymo for comment.

The future of driving is here.