22:45Machine-translated from Azerbaijani by AIRead in Azerbaijani
Waymo launches driverless robotaxi service in Las Vegas
Alphabet-owned Waymo began opening its robotaxi service to the public in Las Vegas on Monday. In the initial phase, passengers will be invited to the service gradually. Rides will be provided in driverless, fully autonomous vehicles. Those who want to use the service must request an invitation and receive an access code. Las Vegas is the 15th market where Waymo operates.
The initial fleet consists primarily of dozens of all-electric Ojai minivans. They are designed to operate in harsh weather conditions and are equipped with the 6th-generation Waymo Driver system. The approximately 39 km service area covers the city's main tourist corridor, the area south of Highway 589 and Boulder Junction. The company plans to increase the number of vehicles and gradually expand the service area. Before Las Vegas, Waymo launched robotaxis for invited passengers in Denver, San Diego and Tampa earlier in the month. In August, it also put its vehicles on the road in Munich, Germany. The service also operates in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Phoenix and the San Francisco Bay Area. The service launched in San Antonio was later suspended. Paid service in Las Vegas began after the Nevada Transportation Authority issued a permit for Clark County. The agency also issued the same type of permit to Tesla and Uber. Waymo has received permission to operate 1,000 autonomous vehicles over the next 12 months. The limit is 5,000 vehicles for Tesla and 1,000 for Uber. Thus, under the permits issued, a maximum of 7,000 robotaxis may operate in the county. Uber will operate its vehicles in partnership with Hyundai-affiliated Motional and Zoox. However, the companies are not expected to reach the maximum numbers specified in their permits. Waymo currently has more than 4,000 robotaxis spread across more than 12 cities. Tesla chief engineer Erik Early said in August that reaching 2,500 or slightly more vehicles within 1 year would be considered a successful result for the company. Robotaxi competition has already begun in Las Vegas. Zoox became the first company to launch a paid service in the city in September last year and later expanded its coverage area. Tesla and Motional also plan to launch commercial robotaxi services there. Waymo usually removes the invitation-code requirement 1 or 2 months after an official launch and opens the service to everyone.
The initial fleet consists primarily of dozens of all-electric Ojai minivans. They are designed to operate in harsh weather conditions and are equipped with the 6th-generation Waymo Driver system. The approximately 39 km service area covers the city's main tourist corridor, the area south of Highway 589 and Boulder Junction. The company plans to increase the number of vehicles and gradually expand the service area. Before Las Vegas, Waymo launched robotaxis for invited passengers in Denver, San Diego and Tampa earlier in the month. In August, it also put its vehicles on the road in Munich, Germany. The service also operates in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Phoenix and the San Francisco Bay Area. The service launched in San Antonio was later suspended. Paid service in Las Vegas began after the Nevada Transportation Authority issued a permit for Clark County. The agency also issued the same type of permit to Tesla and Uber. Waymo has received permission to operate 1,000 autonomous vehicles over the next 12 months. The limit is 5,000 vehicles for Tesla and 1,000 for Uber. Thus, under the permits issued, a maximum of 7,000 robotaxis may operate in the county. Uber will operate its vehicles in partnership with Hyundai-affiliated Motional and Zoox. However, the companies are not expected to reach the maximum numbers specified in their permits. Waymo currently has more than 4,000 robotaxis spread across more than 12 cities. Tesla chief engineer Erik Early said in August that reaching 2,500 or slightly more vehicles within 1 year would be considered a successful result for the company. Robotaxi competition has already begun in Las Vegas. Zoox became the first company to launch a paid service in the city in September last year and later expanded its coverage area. Tesla and Motional also plan to launch commercial robotaxi services there. Waymo usually removes the invitation-code requirement 1 or 2 months after an official launch and opens the service to everyone.