World’s largest autonomous driving service area has officially emerged!
It covers an area of 180 square miles, which corresponds to 466 square kilometers.
In just 5 months, Google Waymo has doubled the coverage of its Robotaxi service in Phoenix.
This coverage area is equivalent to one-third of the entire urban commercial area of Phoenix.
By comparison, the goal of Beijing’s autonomous driving demonstration zone this year is to expand to 500 square kilometers citywide.
Now Google Waymo has taken the lead in Phoenix, USA on its own.
Phoenix service area doubled
The doubling is relative to December 2022.
Currently, Waymo’s Robotaxi service area in Phoenix, USA has reached 180 square miles (approximately 466 square kilometers).
This number has expanded three times compared to their initial service area in Phoenix in 2020.
Moreover, according to official introductions, this is the largest fully autonomous driving service area in the world.
As a horizontal comparison, taking the Beijing Autonomous Driving Demonstration Zone as an example, in the current stage of construction 3.0, the plan is to expand the construction to 100 square kilometers around the existing 60 square kilometer demonstration area (Beijing Yizhuang Economic Development Zone), and gradually expand it to the entire Beijing city, totaling 500 square kilometers this year.
However, speaking of Waymo’s expansion in Phoenix, what specific changes have been made?
One obvious point is that it has connected the city center of Phoenix with the East Valley region.
For the first time, Scottsdale has been included, covering almost all areas of Tempe, and now there are more routes to Chandler and Mesa.
In addition, to meet the growing passenger flow, they have added new Robotaxi pick-up and drop-off points near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
The 44th Street light rail station of the Phoenix Sky Train, which opened in December last year, has now been expanded to 24th Street.
As a result, this also provides more convenience for passengers traveling to and from the airport.
In terms of usage, there is no need to apply or wait in Phoenix, just download the “Waymo One” app and randomly summon a self-driving taxi.
In terms of fees, according to user feedback, it takes 17 minutes for Waymo’s Robotaxi to travel from the 44th Street station of the Sky Train to Casa Corazon restaurant, costing $17.09.
By comparison, taking an Uber taxi with the same pick-up and drop-off location would cost a minimum of $29.
With the continuous expansion of the service area, Waymo hopes to provide more travel services for passengers in more places.
Expansion in San Francisco and Los Angeles
Phoenix is currently the most successful place for Waymo’s commercial operation.
With an area of 180 square miles and 24×7 operation, the most important thing is that passengers can be charged.
However, the progress in San Francisco and Los Angeles is not smooth.
First, let’s take a look at San Francisco. Since November last year, Waymo has opened its Robotaxi service with a driver to the public here, which operates 24×7 and has attracted thousands of passengers from outside San Francisco to experience it.
Currently, in most areas of San Francisco, using the app can experience the driverless car for free, but you need to apply to join the waiting list and wait for notification. According to official information, thousands of people are already on their waiting list.
Now, Waymo’s new goal in San Francisco is to increase the number of Robotaxi fleets and expand the service area to Fisherman’s Wharf and North Beach.
As for Los Angeles, Waymo officially announced in October last year that it would launch Robotaxi operation here, which became the third city where Waymo landed.
The latest development is that testing operations will be carried out in several central areas of Los Angeles in the future.
At the current stage, it may be more important for Waymo to obtain permission from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to charge passengers, so as to accelerate the commercial landing process in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Overall, Phoenix and San Francisco are the main strongholds of Google Waymo. Their Robotaxi has accumulated more than 20 million miles, which corresponds to 32.19 million kilometers.
Moreover, their Robotaxi now provides more than 10,000 services to passengers every week, not including internal employee rides.
According to Waymo’s plan, they hope to provide over 100,000 services to passengers every week by next summer, which is 10 times the original amount.
Waymo is confident about this because, according to them, Phoenix and San Francisco are the two most profitable and fastest growing markets in the US ride-hailing industry.
As for whether they can achieve this goal, it may depend on the expansion speed of Waymo’s autonomous vehicles and the progress of testing in the new city of Los Angeles.
