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Alphabet (GOOGL) Launches Rider-Only Service in Downtown Phoenix
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Alphabet’s (GOOGL - Free Report) self-driving arm, Waymo, brings an end to the much-awaited rider-only service in downtown Phoenix.
Until now, Waymo was operating its autonomous vehicles with a company specialist seated in the driver's seat. Following the latest launch, these vehicles will run completely without human safety operators.
There will be only riders seated inside these vehicles. As of now, the service is available to riders who have become Waymo One Trusted Testers by taking part in the company’s Trusted Tester program, which was launched in May 2022.
The driverless robotaxi service in downtown Phoenix will be confined to a specific area, which is constrained by Interstate 17 on the west and south, Camelback Road on the north, and 44th Street on the east.
Waymo plans to roll out the underlined service to regular passengers and expand its operating area eventually.
The above-mentioned factor bodes well for the company’s intention to hit the streets of downtown Phoenix, which was announced this March.
The latest move marks Waymo’s expansion in Phoenix. Notably, Waymo vehicles began the ride-hailing service from the East Valley of Phoenix.
The company is in sync with its growing efforts toward the expansion of its Waymo ride-hailing service across the United States.
The recent step is in sync with Alphabet’s strengthening efforts toward expanding its operations and fleet, and making the vehicles more rider-friendly.
The company has plans to make its ride-hailing vehicles fully driverless on the streets of San Francisco. This also marks Waymo’s first expansion outside Phoenix.
Alphabet recently partnered with Geely, a China-based automotive company. Per the terms of the deal, Geely’s electric mobility brand, Zeekr, will design and develop electric vehicles for Waymo, into which Waymo Driver will be integrated.
The vehicles will be first introduced on the roads of the United States. With the Geely partnership, Waymo will expand its Waymo One fleet.
Apart from this, Waymo teamed up with Google’s Maps to ensure a seamless booking experience for Waymo One. This enables customers to book Waymo One directly from the Maps app.
The endeavors will help Alphabet further penetrate the booming autonomous driving space.
Per a report by Mordor Intelligence, the worldwide driverless vehicle market is expected to see a CAGR of 18.06% between 2021 and 2026.
Intensifying Competition
Given the upbeat scenario, not only Alphabet but companies like Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) , Intel (INTC - Free Report) and Baidu (BIDU - Free Report) are also making every effort to capitalize on the growth prospects in the autonomous driving space.
Amazon’s buyout of Zoox, a developer of autonomous ride-hailing vehicles, remains a major positive. Further, the company’s launch of its first self-driving robotaxi strengthened its position in the autonomous driving space.
Currently, the company is gearing up to test its robotaxi in California. It has already applied for a permit in California to test-drive its vehicles.
Zoox intends to open an engineering office and operations facility this year, which will act as a base for its autonomous vehicle testing.
Meanwhile, Intel is gaining from the low power consumption of Mobileye chips and the ability to create maps for self-driving systems. The company intends to introduce a pilot for autonomous taxis and ride-hailing services in Munich and Tel Aviv in 2022.
In April 2022, the company already gave a sneak peek of its robotaxi ride by rolling out a video of a 40-minute autonomous car ride around Jerusalem.
In addition to this, Mobileye recently teamed up with German electric mobility unit Benteler EV Systems and Beep to develop and deploy self-driving, fully-electric shuttles in the United States by 2024.
Baidu is gaining from the strong momentum of Apollo Go Robotaxi service across China on the back of its increasing availability in several cities and a growing number of rides.
Apollo Go is available in ten cities, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Changsha, Cangzhou, Yangquan, Wuzhen Water Town and Wuhan.
Nevertheless, Alphabet’s growing autonomous driving initiatives are likely to help it stay ahead of the curve.
Image: Bigstock
Alphabet (GOOGL) Launches Rider-Only Service in Downtown Phoenix
Alphabet’s (GOOGL - Free Report) self-driving arm, Waymo, brings an end to the much-awaited rider-only service in downtown Phoenix.
Until now, Waymo was operating its autonomous vehicles with a company specialist seated in the driver's seat. Following the latest launch, these vehicles will run completely without human safety operators.
There will be only riders seated inside these vehicles. As of now, the service is available to riders who have become Waymo One Trusted Testers by taking part in the company’s Trusted Tester program, which was launched in May 2022.
The driverless robotaxi service in downtown Phoenix will be confined to a specific area, which is constrained by Interstate 17 on the west and south, Camelback Road on the north, and 44th Street on the east.
Waymo plans to roll out the underlined service to regular passengers and expand its operating area eventually.
The above-mentioned factor bodes well for the company’s intention to hit the streets of downtown Phoenix, which was announced this March.
The latest move marks Waymo’s expansion in Phoenix. Notably, Waymo vehicles began the ride-hailing service from the East Valley of Phoenix.
The company is in sync with its growing efforts toward the expansion of its Waymo ride-hailing service across the United States.
Alphabet Inc. Price and Consensus
Alphabet Inc. price-consensus-chart | Alphabet Inc. Quote
Expanding Waymo Efforts
The recent step is in sync with Alphabet’s strengthening efforts toward expanding its operations and fleet, and making the vehicles more rider-friendly.
The company has plans to make its ride-hailing vehicles fully driverless on the streets of San Francisco. This also marks Waymo’s first expansion outside Phoenix.
Alphabet recently partnered with Geely, a China-based automotive company. Per the terms of the deal, Geely’s electric mobility brand, Zeekr, will design and develop electric vehicles for Waymo, into which Waymo Driver will be integrated.
The vehicles will be first introduced on the roads of the United States. With the Geely partnership, Waymo will expand its Waymo One fleet.
Apart from this, Waymo teamed up with Google’s Maps to ensure a seamless booking experience for Waymo One. This enables customers to book Waymo One directly from the Maps app.
The endeavors will help Alphabet further penetrate the booming autonomous driving space.
Per a report by Mordor Intelligence, the worldwide driverless vehicle market is expected to see a CAGR of 18.06% between 2021 and 2026.
Intensifying Competition
Given the upbeat scenario, not only Alphabet but companies like Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) , Intel (INTC - Free Report) and Baidu (BIDU - Free Report) are also making every effort to capitalize on the growth prospects in the autonomous driving space.
Amazon’s buyout of Zoox, a developer of autonomous ride-hailing vehicles, remains a major positive. Further, the company’s launch of its first self-driving robotaxi strengthened its position in the autonomous driving space.
Currently, the company is gearing up to test its robotaxi in California. It has already applied for a permit in California to test-drive its vehicles.
Zoox intends to open an engineering office and operations facility this year, which will act as a base for its autonomous vehicle testing.
Meanwhile, Intel is gaining from the low power consumption of Mobileye chips and the ability to create maps for self-driving systems. The company intends to introduce a pilot for autonomous taxis and ride-hailing services in Munich and Tel Aviv in 2022.
In April 2022, the company already gave a sneak peek of its robotaxi ride by rolling out a video of a 40-minute autonomous car ride around Jerusalem.
In addition to this, Mobileye recently teamed up with German electric mobility unit Benteler EV Systems and Beep to develop and deploy self-driving, fully-electric shuttles in the United States by 2024.
Baidu is gaining from the strong momentum of Apollo Go Robotaxi service across China on the back of its increasing availability in several cities and a growing number of rides.
Apollo Go is available in ten cities, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Changsha, Cangzhou, Yangquan, Wuzhen Water Town and Wuhan.
Nevertheless, Alphabet’s growing autonomous driving initiatives are likely to help it stay ahead of the curve.
Currently, Alphabet carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.