Video: Check Out Waymo's Self-Driving Cars in Action

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

After spending most of last week showing off its tech to the media, Waymo is launching its driverless pilot program in Arizona. While the rides won’t technically begin for a few months, you can already get a taste of the action via video footage of company’s trio of testbed Chrysler Pacificas.

It’s impressive to see the Pacificas not run down any pedestrians, especially since none of them seemed to notice being approached by a van without a driver.

During a keynote speech at a tech conference in Lisbon, Portugal, Waymo CEO John Krafcik showed video of the firm’s test vehicles operating on public roads without any human supervision. “This wasn’t just a one-time ride or a demo,” Krafcik told the crowd. “What you’re seeing now marks the start of a new phase for Waymo and the history of this technology.”

This is the first time the company has shown, or even discussed, its vehicles being tested without a person behind the wheel. Waymo says it has been staging these kinds of runs since mid-October. Meanwhile, mainstream manufacturers continue leaving a human plan B in the driver’s seat while testing on public roads.

While far less impressive to watch, it makes us feel a little more confident knowing there’s someone behind the wheel. But maybe we’re being big babies about this whole autonomous car thing.

According to Automotive News, Waymo successfully demoed its driverless Pacificas during an October press event, operating seven-minute rides at its private testing center in Atwater, California. The company also showcased its user interface technology, which includes a simple-to-understand row of buttons that allows passengers to start their ride, pull the car over, and call for help. The rear of the vehicle houses two screens that monitor the car’s route, current position, and 360-degree vision.

Waymo has also been providing rides to a handful of carefully selected residents in Chandler, Arizona. The plan is to expand the operating range of the driverless vehicles to an area of roughly 600 square miles and remove the safety drivers, leaving occupants to pick their noses and do whatever else shame would have once prevented.

“Since the beginning of this year, our early riders have been using our fleet — with a test driver at the wheel — to go to work, school, soccer practice and more,” he said “Soon, they’ll be able to make these trips in a fully self-driving car, with Waymo as their chauffeur.”

[Image: Waymo]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • I could see the practical joke potential in self-driving cars: A wag could put a couple of bags of sand (assuming weight on a seat is necessary) or a blow-up doll in his buddy's car, and program it to go back to his house, or to a house of ill repute, or his ex-girlfriend's house. Friend finds his car missing, searches all day for it, deals with the end of the story, then plans his revenge.

  • Mike1041 Mike1041 on Nov 08, 2017

    That sure was not much of a test with such light traffic. I want to see this thing operate in city centre like congestion and then I will be impressed. Also a parallel park should be in there. That no way simulates real life driving in my town.

  • Honda1 Unions were needed back in the early days, not needed know. There are plenty of rules and regulations and government agencies that keep companies in line. It's just a money grad and nothing more. Fain is a punk!
  • 1995 SC If the necessary number of employees vote to unionize then yes, they should be unionized. That's how it works.
  • Sobhuza Trooper That Dave Thomas fella sounds like the kind of twit who is oh-so-quick to tell us how easy and fun the bus is for any and all of your personal transportation needs. The time to get to and from the bus stop is never a concern. The time waiting for the bus is never a concern. The time waiting for a connection (if there is one) is never a concern. The weather is never a concern. Whatever you might be carrying or intend to purchase is never a concern. Nope, Boo Cars! Yeah Buses! Buses rule!Needless to say, these twits don't actual take the damn bus.
  • MaintenanceCosts Nobody here seems to acknowledge that there are multiple use cases for cars.Some people spend all their time driving all over the country and need every mile and minute of time savings. ICE cars are better for them right now.Some people only drive locally and fly when they travel. For them, there's probably a range number that works, and they don't really need more. For the uses for which we use our EV, that would be around 150 miles. The other thing about a low range requirement is it can make 120V charging viable. If you don't drive more than an average of about 40 miles/day, you can probably get enough electrons through a wall outlet. We spent over two years charging our Bolt only through 120V, while our house was getting rebuilt, and never had an issue.Those are extremes. There are all sorts of use cases in between, which probably represent the majority of drivers. For some users, what's needed is more range. But I think for most users, what's needed is better charging. Retrofit apartment garages like Tim's with 240V outlets at every spot. Install more L3 chargers in supermarket parking lots and alongside gas stations. Make chargers that work like Tesla Superchargers as ubiquitous as gas stations, and EV charging will not be an issue for most users.
  • MaintenanceCosts I don't have an opinion on whether any one plant unionizing is the right answer, but the employees sure need to have the right to organize. Unions or the credible threat of unionization are the only thing, history has proven, that can keep employers honest. Without it, we've seen over and over, the employers have complete power over the workers and feel free to exploit the workers however they see fit. (And don't tell me "oh, the workers can just leave" - in an oligopolistic industry, working conditions quickly converge, and there's not another employer right around the corner.)
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