From San Francisco to Washington and Phoenix, Waymo has been testing its self-driving cars in various weather conditions throughout the United States.
Waymo Is Testing Its Self-Driving Cars In Atlanta
Now the self-driving car company from Google's parent-subsidiary Alphabet has announced its testing its autonomous vehicle in a new location, Metro Atlanta. The company announced its next stop for Waymo's self-driving test program on Twitter.
Atlanta Offers Better Weather Conditions For Autonomous Cars
Why is Waymo testing its self-driving car in Atlanta? While Metro Atlanta can be a bit congested, the city offers better weather conditions for autonomous vehicles to drive in, especially since it's mostly sunny throughout the year. Even during winter, Atlanta can occasionally get snow and ice storms in the winter but not as bad as New York City.
Atlanta Georgia's Governor Nathan Deal Welcomes Waymo
Waymo received a nice welcome from Georgia's Governor, Nathan Deal, as he's excited about self-driving vehicles and their potential to improve road safety in Atlanta.
"We are thrilled to welcome Waymo to our state because fully self-driving vehicle technology holds tremendous potential to improve road safety," said Deal. "We are proud Georgia is paving the way for the future of transportation"
Waymo is the first company testing its self-driving vehicles on the road in Atlanta, though some other companies are eyeing to expand into the region.
Atlanta Marks Waymo's 25th Self-Driving Test Location
Waymo adding the Metro Atlanta to its self-driving test locations marks Waymo's 25th test city. The company has also tested a majority of its self-driving cars in Austin, Texas, Detroit, Michigan, Mountain View, CA, and Kirkland, Washington.
Waymo didn't provide any additional details, but we do know that the company started testing its Chrysler Pacifica minivan in Atlanta, last week. We should be learning more about Waymo testing its self-driving car in Atlanta soon.
Initially, Waymo Employees Will Be In The Backseat
Initially, when members of the public start riding its Chrysler Pacifica minivans with self-driving technology, a Waymo employee will be in the backseat. However, at some point, passengers will get to travel by themselves in Waymo's self-driving vehicle.
Live in Atlanta? Excited to be a passenger of Waymo's self-driving car? Let's discuss the potential for self-driving cars in the comment section below.