Autonomous vehicles to hit the streets of New York for the first time

As if the New York taxi drivers had not been in a hurry by the Ubers and Lyfts of the world, Eric Adams, the mayor of New York, announced on Friday that the New York Department of Transportation had granted the city of the city of Google. It will be the first fully independent car to operate in the city.

Waymo will deploy eight vehicles in New York from September, and they will operate in Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn, with the possibility of extending to other districts in the future, according to CNBC. Although cars will work independently, New York state will demand that Waymo keep a driver behind the wheel at any time in the event of an intervention. At the time when Waymo asked for the permit in June of this year, he said he would pressure to change the law, but the company can probably slip into a flea bag for Adams to have signed and save the lobbying effort.

“We are a technological administration and we are still looking for innovative means to advance our city safely,” Adams said in a press release. “New York is proud to welcome Waymo to test this new technology in Manhattan and Brooklyn, because we know that this test is only the first step to move our city further in the 21st century.” Last year, Adams signed a program that would allow autonomous vehicle tests in New York as part of an effort to bring companies like Waymo to the city.

This is not the first time that autonomous vehicle operators have been trying to make their way in the Big Apple. In fact, Waymo first asked permission to put wheels in the concrete jungle in 2021, when she brought vehicles to the city. This visit consisted mainly in manual driving, and the company used trips to collect data on driving in icy and snowy conditions and operating in a densely populated area. Four years later, they will finally be able to see if they have learned enough to operate in New York without problem.

The city of New York was a white whale for Waymo, which already works on several major markets. The company manages its carpooling service in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin, claiming to perform more than 250,000 rides per week. Waymo plans to extend to Atlanta, Miami, Dallas and Washington, DC next year and will add more than 2,000 cars to its fleet. Entering New York would be a coup for Waymo, but more importantly, it could give us a modern version of the famous “Walkin” here! »Moment of Midnight cowboy.