Waymo, Alphabet's vehicle division, has reportedly started operating self-driving mini vans on the public roads of Arizona.
CEO John Krafcik announced at the Web Summit technology conference in Lisbon that the new service will be available to the public in Phoenix, Arizona in the next few months.
Waymo cars have been tested in regular roads in the past, but never in this massive scale. Krafcik said the project will be geofenced in a 100-mile area around the suburb town of Chandler. He added that first to be served will be residents who are part of the Early Rider program, which rolled out in April when the vans first hit the public roads of Arizona.
According to BBC, the project, which uses Google's machine engineering talent, will be rolled out via Fiat Chrysler Pacifica minivans. When it begins, a Waymo employee will still be joining the trips and will sit at the supposed driver's seat. Despite this, Waymo promised that the ride will happen without any human intervention. The CEO added that after a while, even the employee will be out of the picture.
As its vehicles collect more data and produce more trips, Waymo plans to expand its area.
This latest move signifies the growing confidence of Alphabet in the program that it has been working on since 2009. Waymo said in an official statement that this is the most advanced vehicle they have developed yet, noting that everything in it is designed for full autonomy.
"Our combination of powerful sensors gives our vehicles a 360 degree view of the world. The lasers can see objects in three dimensions, up to 300 meters away," the statement said. The press release continued to discuss the vehicle's short-range lasers for "focused close-up" and the radars underneath and around the vehicle that can track moving objects often unnoticed by the human eye.
The project also has the Chandler local government's full support. "This research and development taking place in our community will ultimately make our roads safer and provide new freedom for those unable to drive," said Mayor Jay Tibshraeny, in a statement provided by Waymo.
