Self-driving cars

Aakash Jain
Waymo gets nod for self-driving cars with no backup driver :

  • WASHINGTON- Alphabet Inc's Waymo units on Tuesday became the first company to receive  a permit from the state of California to test driver less vehicles without a backup driver in the front seat.
  • California said Waymo can use about three dozen test vehicles without drivers behind the wheel in Santa Clara County.
  • About 60 companies have permits in the state to test self-driving cars with a backup driver, including most major automakers and Apple.
  • It carry at least $5 million in insurance and notify local communities.
  • Waymo's permit includes day and night testing on city streets, rural roads and highways with posted speed limits of up to 65 miles per hour.
  •  The company spent $75,000 for each lidar system from Velodyne.
  • It will begin driver less testing on city streets in Silicon Valley and expand to other areas after it notifies local communities.  
  • As of 2017, that cost was down approximately 90 percent, due to Waymo designing its own version of lidar.
  • Tests will begins with Waymo employees and eventually "create opportunities for members of the public to experience this technology".





1 Comments