Latest news with #ShwetaShrivastava
TimesLIVE
18-07-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Waymo expands coverage in Texas as robotaxi competition heats up
Alphabet's Waymo is expanding its service in Austin, Texas, to 233km² from 95km² earlier, the software giant's self-driving unit said on Thursday, seeking to protect its top position in the city from rivals such as Tesla. Waymo, which has more than 100 vehicles on the Uber platform in Austin, will cover new neighborhoods such as Crestview, Windsor Park, Sunset Valley and Franklin Park, the company said. After cautiously expanding its self-driving taxi services across the US for years, Waymo is largely seen as the frontrunner in the space. It has about 1,500 vehicles across San Francisco and other Bay Area cities, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Atlanta and others. Rival Tesla is looking to catch up, having conducted a small trial last month of about a dozen of its Model Y SUVs in a limited area of Austin. However, Tesla faces a steep challenge to commercialise the technology on a large scale and clear regulatory hurdles. The automaker also does not use sensors such as radar and lidar like Waymo and most rivals. Instead, it depends solely on cameras and artificial intelligence. "Austin remains one of the fastest growing cities in the country, and we are doing our part to grow with it," said Shweta Shrivastava, the senior director of product management at Waymo. Earlier this week, Waymo's vehicles logged a milestone of 160-million kilometres driven without a human behind the wheel, doubling its mileage in about six months.
Axios
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- Axios
Waymo expands Austin service area
Autonomous vehicle maker Waymo and its rideshare partner Uber are expanding their Austin service area, the companies announced Thursday. Why it matters: Coming just days after Tesla announced a service expansion in Austin, the move is a window into the broader jousting going on as companies try to prove themselves to investors and grab customers in the early days of AV ride-sharing. Zoom in: Starting Thursday, Uber riders can take fully autonomous rides across 90 square miles of the city, including, neighborhoods like Crestview, Windsor Park and Sunset Valley — as well as to destinations like The Domain and McKinney Falls State Park. The companies' service area previously was 37 square miles. The service is open to the general public, 24/7. By the numbers: There are more than 100 Waymo vehicles on Uber in Austin, "and that number will continually grow to hundreds over time," Waymo officials said in a press release. The company says it has logged 100 million fully autonomous miles driven without a human behind the wheel as it expands to new cities like Atlanta. What they're saying: "The service with our partners at Uber is healthy, and we are ready for more Austinites to experience the magic of fully autonomous driving," Shweta Shrivastava, senior director of product management at Waymo, said. The intrigue: Earlier this week, Tesla announced an expansion to its limited robotaxi service in Austin, first launched in June and is not available to the general public. Between the lines: Tesla, which previously operated robotaxis in a band around South Congress, announced its phallus-shaped expansion through its robotaxi account on X, CEO Elon Musk's social media platform.
The Star
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Waymo expands coverage in Austin, Texas, as robotaxi competition heats up
FILE PHOTO: A self-driving Waymo car drives through Los Angeles, California, U.S., May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper/File Photo (Reuters) -Alphabet's Waymo is expanding its service in Austin, Texas, to 90 square miles from 37 square miles earlier, the software giant's self-driving unit said on Thursday, seeking to protect its top position in the city from rivals such as Tesla. Waymo, which has over 100 vehicles on the Uber platform in Austin, will now cover new neighborhoods such as Crestview, Windsor Park, Sunset Valley and Franklin Park, the company said. After cautiously expanding its self-driving taxi services across the U.S. for years, Waymo is now largely seen as the frontrunner in the space. It has about 1,500 vehicles across San Francisco and other Bay Area cities, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Atlanta and others. Rival Tesla is looking to catch up, having conducted a small trial last month of about a dozen of its Model Y SUVs in a limited area of Austin. But Tesla still faces a steep challenge to commercialize this technology on a large scale and clear regulatory hurdles. The automaker also does not use sensors such as radar and lidar like Waymo and most rivals; instead, it depends solely on cameras and artificial intelligence. "Austin remains one of the fastest growing cities in the country, and we are doing our part to grow with it," Shweta Shrivastava, the senior director of product management at Waymo, said. Earlier this week, Waymo's vehicles logged a milestone of 100 million miles driven without a human behind the wheel, doubling its mileage in about six months. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)
CNA
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- CNA
Waymo expands coverage in Austin, Texas, as robotaxi competition heats up
Alphabet's Waymo is expanding its service in Austin, Texas, to 90 square miles from 37 square miles earlier, the software giant's self-driving unit said on Thursday, seeking to protect its top position in the city from rivals such as Tesla. Waymo, which has over 100 vehicles on the Uber platform in Austin, will now cover new neighborhoods such as Crestview, Windsor Park, Sunset Valley and Franklin Park, the company said. After cautiously expanding its self-driving taxi services across the U.S. for years, Waymo is now largely seen as the frontrunner in the space. It has about 1,500 vehicles across San Francisco and other Bay Area cities, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Atlanta and others. Rival Tesla is looking to catch up, having conducted a small trial last month of about a dozen of its Model Y SUVs in a limited area of Austin. But Tesla still faces a steep challenge to commercialize this technology on a large scale and clear regulatory hurdles. The automaker also does not use sensors such as radar and lidar like Waymo and most rivals; instead, it depends solely on cameras and artificial intelligence. "Austin remains one of the fastest growing cities in the country, and we are doing our part to grow with it," Shweta Shrivastava, the senior director of product management at Waymo, said. Earlier this week, Waymo's vehicles logged a milestone of 100 million miles driven without a human behind the wheel, doubling its mileage in about six months.
Reuters
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
Waymo expands coverage in Austin, Texas, as robotaxi competition heats up
July 17 (Reuters) - Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Waymo is expanding its service in Austin, Texas, to 90 square miles from 37 square miles earlier, the software giant's self-driving unit said on Thursday, seeking to protect its top position in the city from rivals such as Tesla. Waymo, which has over 100 vehicles on the Uber (UBER.N), opens new tab platform in Austin, will now cover new neighborhoods such as Crestview, Windsor Park, Sunset Valley and Franklin Park, the company said. After cautiously expanding its self-driving taxi services across the U.S. for years, Waymo is now largely seen as the frontrunner in the space. It has about 1,500 vehicles across San Francisco and other Bay Area cities, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Atlanta and others. Rival Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab is looking to catch up, having conducted a small trial last month of about a dozen of its Model Y SUVs in a limited area of Austin. But Tesla still faces a steep challenge to commercialize this technology on a large scale and clear regulatory hurdles. The automaker also does not use sensors such as radar and lidar like Waymo and most rivals; instead, it depends solely on cameras and artificial intelligence. "Austin remains one of the fastest growing cities in the country, and we are doing our part to grow with it," Shweta Shrivastava, the senior director of product management at Waymo, said. Earlier this week, Waymo's vehicles logged a milestone of 100 million miles driven without a human behind the wheel, doubling its mileage in about six months.
