Waymo Autonomous cars test on San Diego streets!
Waymo Begins Autonomous Vehicle Testing in San Diego
Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Google parent Alphabet Inc., has launched a testing program on San Diego streets, marking the city's inclusion in the company's ambitious expansion of self-driving technology testing across multiple U.S. cities.
The company has deployed a small fleet of white, all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles equipped with Waymo's fifth-generation sensor technology. These test vehicles, currently operated by human drivers, have been spotted in several San Diego neighborhoods, including Bankers Hill, Mission Hills, Little Italy, Balboa Park, Cortez Hill, East Village, Marina District, and Sherman Heights.
"The areas we plan to operate share a number of similarities to the areas we've been serving riders for years, including a high density of cyclists, pedestrians and other cars, as well as high-speed roads," a Waymo spokesperson said. The testing will also extend to major highways, including Interstate 5 and State Route 163.
The San Diego testing program is part of Waymo's larger initiative to visit more than ten cities throughout 2025, with Las Vegas joining San Diego as one of the first new testing locations. This expansion comes as Waymo continues to operate its commercial robotaxi services in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin.
Henrik I. Christensen, director of robotics at UC San Diego, explained that Waymo's vehicles use a combination of cameras and laser radar to create detailed 3D models of their environment. "That's why they're driving around, taking all of this data, using then some powerful computers to build a map that is much more detailed than what you see when you drive in your car," he said.
One of the key challenges for autonomous vehicles is adapting to local driving behaviors and unofficial "rules of the road." This includes understanding regional quirks like the "California stop" and anticipating pedestrian behavior in busy areas like the Gaslamp Quarter.
The testing program operates under the oversight of the California Department of Motor Vehicles and the California Public Utilities Commission, with Waymo having secured necessary permits and coordinating with city officials before beginning operations.
This expansion comes at a significant moment in the autonomous vehicle industry. While some companies like Cruise have faced setbacks, leading to a December 2024 shutdown, Waymo has continued to advance its technology and expand its operations. The company recently announced plans for international testing in Tokyo and has successfully launched robotaxi services in multiple U.S. cities.
The testing program reflects Waymo's methodical approach to expansion, prioritizing safety and systematic data collection as it works toward its goal of improving road safety through autonomous vehicle technology. San Diegans can expect to see these vehicles, with their distinctive sensor arrays and Waymo branding, continuing to navigate local streets over the coming months as part of this development phase.
WAYMO IN SAN DIEGO: THE BASICS
WHAT'S HAPPENING Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Google's parent Alphabet Inc., is conducting test drives on San Diego streets. The testing is part of a broader expansion to more than 10 cities in 2025.
THE VEHICLES
- White Jaguar I-PACE electric vehicles
- Equipped with Waymo's fifth-generation sensors
- Features include cameras, lidar, and radar systems
- All vehicles currently have human drivers
WHERE THEY'RE TESTING Downtown Area:
- Little Italy
- Marina District
- East Village
- Cortez Hill
Surrounding Neighborhoods:
- Bankers Hill
- Mission Hills
- Balboa Park
- Sherman Heights
Major Highways:
- Interstate 5
- State Route 163
PURPOSE OF TESTING The company is gathering data to:
- Create detailed 3D maps of the areas
- Learn local driving patterns and behaviors
- Refine perception models
- Understand emergency vehicle behaviors specific to the region
- Study how the technology handles high-density areas with cyclists and pedestrians
REGULATORY OVERSIGHT
- Testing permitted by California Department of Motor Vehicles
- Overseen by California Public Utilities Commission
- Coordinated with San Diego city officials
WHAT IT MEANS While Waymo is testing in San Diego, the company has not announced plans to launch its robotaxi service here. Currently, Waymo operates commercial robotaxi services in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin.
Autonomous cars test on San Diego streets! – Cool San Diego Sights!
In the past few days, I’ve spotted autonomous Waymo cars navigating streets in San Diego. Bankers Hill is where I saw two of the cars, to be exact. Both had drivers behind the steering wheel. I had my camera at the ready this afternoon to capture the above photo. Yes, there is a driver in there.
Waymo is the company that has those driverless autonomous taxis operating up in San Francisco. You hail them with your phone and input the destination.
Here in San Diego, and other test cities, Waymo cars are being driven through certain neighborhoods in order to gather data, refine maps, and learn about the peculiarities of different places. Here’s an article that thoroughly describes the Waymo tests in San Diego. They began very recently.
I can see how many people are wary of driverless cars. The concept is revolutionary and still pretty new. One hears of glitches.
I suppose, however, that at some point in the future, driverless cars will be ubiquitous in every city around the world and taken for granted, just as other groundbreaking technologies eventually become the norm. I grew up with a rotary dial telephone . . . and an astounding invention: the electronic push button calculator!
We live in exciting, uncertain times when technology is taking gigantic leaps forward. Artificial intelligence, chips in heads, advancing robotics, virtual reality worlds… Where will all of this take us? How will this change us?
I wonder. Will the automation of practically everything make life more fulfilling?
I guess humanity will take the journey and find out…
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
Feel free to share this!
Richard Schulte
Downtown San Diego has been my home for many years. My online activities reflect my love for writing, blogging, walking and photography. View all posts by Richard Schulte
Waymo Self-Driving Robotaxi Service Begins Testing Technology In San Diego
Waymo, the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of Google's parent company Alphabet Inc., has begun testing its self-driving technology on the streets of San Diego.
Waymo has deployed a small fleet of all-electric Jaguar I-PACEs outfitted with its latest autonomous driving systems in select neighborhoods across the city. This initiative is part of Waymo's broader effort to improve its artificial intelligence and sensor technology by operating in new and diverse environments.
The test vehicles, which are manually operated by human drivers, will be used to collect data on traffic patterns, pedestrian behavior, and unique regional driving habits. This information is crucial for refining the software's ability to navigate complex urban settings. Some of the areas in which Waymo's test vehicles have been spotted include Bankers Hill, Mission Hills, Little Italy, Balboa Park, Cortez Hill, East Village, the Marina District, and Sherman Heights. The company is also running tests on major roadways such as Interstate 5 and State Route 163.
Waymo has confirmed that these tests are not necessarily an indication of an imminent commercial robotaxi service launch in San Diego. Instead, they are part of a broader expansion of its testing program, which also includes deployments in Las Vegas and other yet-to-be-disclosed cities. The goal is to expose the company's self-driving systems to a variety of urban environments to improve their performance in real-world scenarios.
Waymo traces its origins back to Google's self-driving car project, which was launched in 2009. The initiative was one of the earliest large-scale efforts to develop autonomous vehicle technology and played a significant role in shaping the modern landscape of self-driving research and development. In 2016, the project was rebranded as Waymo, becoming a standalone subsidiary under Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc.
The company’s technology relies on a combination of LiDAR (light detection and ranging), cameras, radar, and advanced machine learning algorithms. These systems work together to create a high-definition 3D map of the vehicle’s surroundings, allowing the AI to detect and respond to pedestrians, cyclists, traffic signals, and other vehicles in real time. Over the years, Waymo has continuously improved its software to handle increasingly complex urban driving conditions.
Waymo's first major commercial deployment took place in Phoenix, Arizona, where it launched its Waymo One robotaxi service in 2020. The company has since expanded its driverless operations to certain parts of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas. In late 2023, Waymo announced plans to test its vehicles internationally for the first time in Tokyo and expand its U.S. robotaxi services to Miami.
The development and deployment of self-driving technology have not been without challenges. Safety remains a primary concern, as incidents involving autonomous vehicles have fueled skepticism among regulators and the public. Since 2014, California’s Department of Motor Vehicles has recorded hundreds of reports related to autonomous vehicle collisions, emphasizing the need for continued improvements in safety protocols and AI decision-making.
Additionally, the cost of developing self-driving technology has been a major hurdle. Several companies have exited the space due to financial losses, with General Motors-backed Cruise suspending its operations in December 2024 after facing mounting costs and regulatory scrutiny. Despite these setbacks, Waymo continues to push forward, leveraging its extensive testing data to refine its technology and make autonomous transportation more reliable.
Waymo's San Diego testing phase will play a critical role in shaping its future expansions. By analyzing traffic flow, pedestrian interactions, and local driving nuances, the company aims to adapt its autonomous vehicles to a wider range of environments. Whether or not San Diego eventually becomes one of Waymo’s official robotaxi cities, the testing efforts in the region mark another step in the ongoing evolution of self-driving technology.
For more information on Waymo, visit waymo.com.
Originally published on February 10, 2025.
Waymo’s robotaxis now open to anyone who wants a driverless ride in Los Angeles
Waymo on Tuesday opened its robotaxi service to anyone who wants a ride around Los Angeles, marking another milestone in the evolution of self-driving car technology since the company began as a secret project at Google 15 years ago.
The expansion comes eight months after Waymo began offering rides in Los Angeles to a limited group of passengers chosen from a waiting list that had ballooned to more than 300,000 people. Now, anyone with the Waymo One smartphone app will be able to request a ride around an 80-square-mile (129-square-kilometer) territory spanning the second largest U.S. city.
After Waymo received approval from California regulators to charge for rides 15 months ago, the company initially chose to launch its operations in San Francisco before offering a limited service in Los Angeles.
Before deciding to compete against conventional ride-hailing pioneers Uber and Lyft in California, Waymo unleashed its robotaxis in Phoenix in 2020 and has been steadily extending the reach of its service in that Arizona city ever since.
Driverless rides are proving to be more than just a novelty. Waymo says it now transports more than 150,000 weekly trips in its robotaxis, a volume of business numbers that helped the company recently raise $5.6 billion from its corporate parent Alphabet and a list of other investors that included venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and financial management firm T. Rowe Price.
“Our service has matured quickly and our riders are embracing the many benefits of fully autonomous driving,” Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said in a blog post.
Despite its inroads, Waymo is still believed to be losing money. Although Alphabet doesn’t disclose Waymo’s financial results, the robotaxi is a major part of an “Other Bets” division that had suffered an operating loss of $3.3 billion through the first nine months of this year, down from a setback of $4.2 billion at the same time last year.
But Waymo has come a long way since Google began working on self-driving cars in 2009 as part of project “Chauffeur.” Since its 2016 spinoff from Google, Waymo has established itself as the clear leader in a robotaxi industry that’s getting more congested.
Electric auto pioneer Tesla is aiming to launch a rival “Cybercab” service by 2026, although its CEO Elon Musk said he hopes the company can get the required regulatory clearances to operate in Texas and California by next year.
Tesla’s projected timeline for competing against Waymo has been met with skepticism because Musk has made unfulfilled promises about the company’s self-driving car technology for nearly a decade.
Meanwhile, Waymo’s robotaxis have driven more than 20 million fully autonomous miles and provided more than 2 million rides to passengers without encountering a serious accident that resulted in its operations being sidelined.
That safety record is a stark contrast to one of its early rivals, Cruise, a robotaxi service owned by General Motors. Cruise’s California license was suspended last year after one of its driverless cars in San Francisco dragged a jaywalking pedestrian who had been struck by a different car driven by a human.
Cruise is now trying to rebound by joining forces with Uber to make some of its services available next year in U.S. cities that still haven’t been announced. But Waymo also has forged a similar alliance with Uber to dispatch its robotaxi in Atlanta and Austin, Texas next year.
Another robotaxi service, Amazon’s Zoox, is hoping to begin offering driverless rides to the general public in Las Vegas at some point next year before also launching in San Francisco.
Self-Driving Car Technology for a Reliable Ride - Waymo Driver
We’re building a Driver that’s leading the way for the entire industry. Informed by unmatched experience and designed with safety at its heart, the Waymo Driver is our autonomous driving technology that never gets drunk, tired, or distracted.
The Waymo Driver is The World’s Most Experienced DriverTM
With millions of miles driven through countless situations on public roads, and billions more in simulation, we've gathered incredible amounts of data to take autonomous driving technology further than anyone else.
The data to date indicates that the Waymo Driver is reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where we operate.
The Waymo Driver vs Driver assist
While many companies promote 'self-driving' features, what they often have is driver assist technology which still requires a human driver behind the wheel, paying full attention and ready to take over whenever the car encounters a situation it can’t handle.
The Waymo Driver is the embodiment of fully autonomous technology that is always in control from pickup to destination. Passengers don’t even need to know how to drive. They can sit in the back seat, relax, and enjoy the ride with the Waymo Driver getting them to their destination safely.
How it works
Mapping out every intersection, sign, and signal
Before our Waymo Driver begins operating in a new area, we first map the territory with incredible detail, from lane markers to stop signs to curbs and crosswalks. Then, instead of relying solely on external data such as GPS which can lose signal strength, the Waymo Driver uses these highly detailed custom maps, matched with real-time sensor data and artificial intelligence (AI) to determine its exact road location at all times.
How it works
Keeping an eye on everything, all at once
The Waymo Driver's perception system takes complex data gathered from its advanced suite of car sensors, and deciphers what's around it using AI - from pedestrians to cyclists, vehicles to construction, and more. The Waymo Driver also responds to signs and signals, like traffic light colors and temporary stop signs.
How it works
Predicting things before they happen
Driving situations can involve hundreds of objects, each with their own unique behaviors and intentions. The Waymo Driver takes the information it gathers in real time, as well as the experience it has built up over its 20+ million miles of real world driving and 20+ billion miles in simulation, and leverages AI to anticipate what other road users might do. It understands how a car moves differently than a cyclist, pedestrian, or other object, and then predicts the many possible paths that the other road users may take, all in the blink of an eye.
How it works
Planning for the safest outcome
The Waymo Driver takes all of this information – from its highly-detailed maps, to what objects are around and where they might go – and uses AI to plan the best action or route to take. It instantly determines the exact trajectory, speed, lane, and steering maneuvers needed to behave safely throughout its journey.
Seeing the road in multiple dimensions.
Over the past decade, Waymo has developed a single integrated system of sensors and compute designed to work together to give the Waymo Driver a comprehensive view of the world around it. Whether it’s day or night, near or far, the Waymo Driver is designed to clearly see what’s happening.
Lidar, or Light Detection and Ranging, paints a 3D picture of the vehicle’s surroundings. Lidar sensors are located all around the vehicle in order to send millions of laser pulses in all directions, then measure how long it takes for them to bounce back off objects. No matter the time of day, our lidar system gives the Waymo Driver a bird’s eye view of what’s around.
Our cameras give the Waymo Driver a simultaneous 360° view around the vehicle. They are designed with high dynamic range and thermal stability, to see in both daylight and low-light conditions, and tackle more complex environments. They can spot traffic lights, construction zones, and other scene objects, even from hundreds of meters away. There are 29 cameras on our Jaguar I-PACEs.
Radar uses millimeter wave frequencies to provide the Waymo Driver with crucial details like an object’s distance and speed. Radar is effective in rain, fog, and snow.
As the “brain" of the Waymo Driver, our onboard computer combines the latest server-grade CPUs and GPUs. It takes information provided by dozens of sensors on the car, identifies the different objects (like other cars and pedestrians), and plans a safe route towards your destination – all in real time.
Lidar, or Light Detection and Ranging, paints a 3D picture of the vehicle’s surroundings. Lidar sensors are located all around the vehicle in order to send millions of laser pulses in all directions, then measure how long it takes for them to bounce back off objects. No matter the time of day, our lidar system gives the Waymo Driver a bird’s eye view of what’s around.
Our cameras give the Waymo Driver a simultaneous 360° view around the vehicle. They are designed with high dynamic range and thermal stability, to see in both daylight and low-light conditions, and tackle more complex environments. They can spot traffic lights, construction zones, and other scene objects, even from hundreds of meters away. There are 29 cameras on our Jaguar I-PACEs.
Radar uses millimeter wave frequencies to provide the Waymo Driver with crucial details like an object’s distance and speed. Radar is effective in rain, fog, and snow.
As the “brain" of the Waymo Driver, our onboard computer combines the latest server-grade CPUs and GPUs. It takes information provided by dozens of sensors on the car, identifies the different objects (like other cars and pedestrians), and plans a safe route towards your destination – all in real time.
Closed courses
We test our latest software on our private test tracks where we can stage complex and rare scenarios in a safe and controlled environment. In total, we’ve completed over 40,000 unique scenarios in closed course environments.
Public roads
We constantly drive on public roads which allows us to evaluate and improve our performance, observe real-world situations, and further improve our software.
Simulation
We’ve driven more than 20 billion miles in simulation to help identify the most challenging situations our vehicles will encounter on public roads. We can either replay and tweak real-world miles or build completely new virtual scenarios, for our autonomous driving software to practice again and again.
Crash avoidance
Waymo has completed thousands of crash avoidance tests, each recreating a distinct driving situation. This allows us to analyze the Waymo Driver's response in situations when other road users create potentially dangerous situations, like a vehicle suddenly pulling out of driveways, motorcyclists weaving through traffic, or pedestrians jaywalking.
Hazard analysis
Waymo performs comprehensive analysis of our hardware, behavioral and embedded controls software, vehicle platform integration, and operations before our system drives in the real world. Hazard analysis is a well-established methodology used to identify potential causes of safety risks and either eliminate or mitigate those hazards early in the engineering process
Reliability & durability
The Waymo Driver needs to work well under extreme environmental conditions over the entire lifetime of the vehicle. We expose our components to ultraviolet radiation, bombard them with powerful water jets, corrode them in chambers full of salty mist, shake them with powerful vibrations, and heat and freeze them for weeks at a time. We then analyze any weaknesses and continuously make design improvements.
Secondary compute
The Waymo Driver has a secondary on-board computer that’s always running in the background. It’s designed to bring the vehicle to a safe stop should it detect a failure of the primary system.
Backup collision detection and avoidance system
Multiple backup systems—including independent collision avoidance systems—are constantly vigilant about the road ahead and behind the vehicle for objects such as pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicles. They can slow or stop the car in the rare event that the primary system doesn’t respond.
Redundant steering
The steering system features a redundant secondary drive motor system with independent controllers and separate power supplies.
Redundant braking
A full, secondary braking system can bring the vehicle to a safe stop if needed.
Backup power systems
Independent power sources are provided for each of the critical driving systems. They ensure that the Waymo Driver remains up and running during rare power failures or circuit interruptions.
Redundant inertial measurement systems for vehicle positioning
This helps the Waymo Driver accurately track its motion along the road. These two systems cross-check each other and assume control from one another if a fault is detected in either system.
Cybersecurity
Protecting the Waymo Driver from malicious activity is paramount. Waymo has developed a robust process to identify, prioritize, and mitigate cybersecurity threats in alignment with industry and government-defined security best practices.
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