Waymo self-driving experience: Mostly peaceful and productive
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PHOENIX — “A ghost is driving the car.”
This is what my daughter, aged five years old, said when I FaceTimed with her from behind a Waymo vehicle.
Both pedestrians and motorists passing by showed a similar reaction. The pedestrians and motorists who passed by had a similar reaction. They stared, pointed, gasped, and sometimes even gasped at the lack of one in front of them.
To usher in the age driverless cars, it will require many more such experiences as mine. My recent experience has shown that autonomous vehicle commercialization is much more complicated than most people think. But the potential benefits to both riders and businesses are significant.
It is possible to make roads safer, improve profit margins and provide a more enjoyable ride for all riders by taking the driver from the car. However, the rollout must be managed carefully and safely. The experience must be made more accessible by companies.
My trip to Phoenix was a blurred one. The modified Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan’s steering wheel moved with every turn.
The vehicle also displayed what it was seeing – such as other cars, buildings and pedestrians – on screens in the back of the vehicle. These screens help riders to see what the vehicle is seeing, and could make them feel more comfortable with what’s going on.
Waymo One’s self-driving cars display what they are “seeing”. (Other cars, stopslights, buildings and pedestrians). Displays are located in the back of each vehicle.
Michael Wayland / CNBC
While I have only been on a few highly automated, self-driving vehicles that are fully autonomous, all of them had additional safety drivers. Waymo has a fleet of self-driving cars in Phoenix, including the suburbs of Chandler and Tempe.
Although some Waymo vehicles are equipped with safety drivers in testing conditions and inclement climate, I was the only person who rode them.
True potential
The experience felt liberating for me. This experience highlighted the potential for autonomous vehicles. Some believe they will be a game changer. be a multitrillion-dollar industry.
My first car was arranged through Waymo One. I felt at home with the ghost driver. Even better, it was even more comfortable than riding on an airplane for four hours.
It allowed me to feel a bit of serenity, even though I was without a chauffeur. I was able to work without interruptions and didn’t have to worry about annoying passengers or being inconsiderate. Without feeling like an inconvenience, I FaceTimed and tweeted multiple times. The majority of the article was written in my second van.
For years, companies promised that self-driving vehicle would enable them to accomplish such feats. That’s in addition to increasing safety and saving massive amounts of capital by taking the driver – the most expensive cost for such companies – out of the vehicle.
Humans are unpredictable and driving is a skill that can be used to get to school or work. While it has taken a long time to reach where we are, most people didn’t expect that. Many companies have begun private testing. However, large numbers of vehicles are being tested by the public. Companies such as Uber, Lyft General MotorsThese are far from being achieved.
Waymo is a division AlphabetIn 2020,, the company that first offered such a fleet to public was. Although its service area is only 50 miles, it has potential to use these technologies. Since its public launch in October 2020, the company claims it has provided tens to thousands of rides.
Waymo is not the only one doing this. Others like AmazonZoox AI, Cruise AI, and Argo AI have been funded and are currently operating in limited parts of the country. They aren’t charging fares or operating public services in the same way Waymo did. Cruise is a majority-owned subsidiary GM. doing so at night in San Francisco.
Overall, it was smooth but there were some problems
Overall the Waymo rides I took were just as comfortable as other ride-hailing drivers, even the one that I had to drive to get to the location for self-driving cars. With ease, they handled bumps at the curb and accelerated well. Once the novelty had worn off, I became more comfortable with the way the cars handled most situations.
The rides were not flawless. While human drivers can be faulted, the promise of autonomous vehicles is to decrease, or eliminate accidents. As safe as humans drivers are, it doesn’t make sense.
Waymo One is a self-driving vehicle that goes through a neighbourhood instead of heading straight. It makes a left turn at an intersection with more traffic, which can be seen on the screen.
Michael Wayland/CNBC
It was also strange how the routes were chosen. Some vehicles preferred to travel through the neighborhood than taking left-hand turns, or using median turn (see above image). Waymo believes the vehicles could choose to take a different route than usual in an effort to avoid traffic.
You also experienced erratic, sometimes almost brutal, steering movements and braking. The first car I was in stopped once in the middle crosswalk, before it decided to reverse. (My colleague Jennifer Elias experienced some similar snafus involving fire lanes.)
It is also different to hail the car than using a ride-hailing or traditional taxi. It is important to specify where you will pick up the vehicle.
It was crowded and I ran after it in a Walmart parking lot. Although it was frustrating, I felt the same frustration as when trying to locate my Uber driver at airport.
Waymo’s vehicles are slightly cheaper than traditional taxis, ride-hailing and other services. For two trips of 26.5 miles, which took me 1 hour 17 minutes each, it cost $49.20. Average cost was $1.57 per mile.
This compares with the average cost of my ride-hailing driver to go to and from autonomous taxis, which was $1.62/mile, excluding tips. It came up to $1.88/mile.
Waymo’s trips involved me going from one Walmart store to another and stopping to have lunch. I then borrowed a second vehicle that would take me to Target, a Target, and a post office near the northern boundary of the area where you can drive.
Waymo self-driving car
Getty
While writing in one of these vehicles, I became captivated by the possibility for self driving vehicles for both deliveries and consumer delivery. These technologies have real potential, even in small operations like Waymo’s. However, there are many technological hurdles, regulatory obstacles and unpredictable human drivers.
Waymo and others need to get more “butts in seats” – an old adage of car dealers to sell vehicles – to experience autonomous vehicles. People, especially younger ones, will be skeptical of the idea that ghosts drive the vehicles.
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