Speaker 1: This is an exclusive first look at a Waymo driverless car navigating a freeway in Phoenix. You can see it moving off the ramp and merging into traffic, and then changing lanes all without a driver behind the wheel. It’s part of Waymo’s mission to bring driverless ride sharing to more cities and streets. Right now, anyone in San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles can hail a ride using the Waymo one app, but they can’t go on highways or freeways just yet. For now, the company is testing that new capability with employees before eventually expanding to the public. Waymo scaled back [00:00:30] on self-driving truck plans last year saying it was doubling down on Waymo One. Instead, the company noted that its ongoing investment in advancing Waymo driver capabilities, especially on the freeway, will directly translate to trucking. Waymo uses a range of sensors to navigate roads without a driver and to detect any nearby pedestrians or bikers, cyclists approaching. Speaker 1: I took a ride in a Waymo for the first time last May, and it did an impressive job of navigating winding San Francisco streets and four-way stops. It really does feel [00:01:00] like there’s somebody in the seat, in the driver’s seat who’s looking around to make sure that everyone’s doing what they need to be doing. And as unsettling as it is to see a steering wheel turn by itself, I felt safe and secure the whole time. Sometimes you don’t always want to talk to somebody. This is good for the loaners. Now is the company tests rides on the freeway. It’s taking employee feedback on how to make the experience more enjoyable. For example, Waymo was working to make off-ramp transitions as smooth as possible. That includes mastering acceleration and deceleration and spotting any debris on the road. It’s also [00:01:30] incorporating ambient music inside the car to compensate for the eerie quietness of its electric vehicles, which can feel heightened when driving at higher speeds. Speaker 1: The journey to bring self-driving cars to fruition hasn’t been without its hiccups. In February, a Waymo car collided with a biker in San Francisco, and the company recalled the software powering its cars. Earlier this year, after two of its vehicles had a towed pickup truck in Phoenix. Waymo updated its software to address the issue. Competitor Cruz was suspended indefinitely in California after one of [00:02:00] its driverless cars hit a jaywalking pedestrian. So anytime a company like Waymo launches a new capability like driving on freeways, it’s important to work out any kinks before welcoming the public because once you’re on board, there’s no one to talk to. How’s your day going? Oh, that’s right. There’s no one there.
