Waymo announced the first autonomous tests of its vehicles in London. The robotaxi firm’s co-founder said its core driving AI was “generalizing very well”; the UK capital, with its medieval layouts and narrow, winding streets, presents a very different challenge to the largely grid-based US cities Waymo launched in.
If tests go well and regulators approve, a full customer service could launch this year. The planned ubiquity of self-driving cars is visible elsewhere: Uber said it would buy 35,000 Lucid autonomous EVs to expand its global fleet, after announcing a plan to purchase 50,000 Rivian models by 2031. The ride-hailing giant is also testing robotaxis in Los Angeles, hoping to make ground on market-leading Waymo.