Everyone from the tech guys in Silicon Valley to the engine builders in Detroit are focused on autonomous driving.
While even the best-case scenarios place widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles five to 10 years away, there is plenty of brain power and money being spent on the technology today.
As Tesla gets off the ground with Robotaxi and Zoox continues to break ground with its bi-directional design, Waymo has pulled out in front as the industry leader of autonomous driving.
Waymo quick facts:
- Founded in 2009.
- Passed the first U.S. state self-driving test in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2012.
- Spun out from Alphabet as a separate subsidiary in 2016.
- As of July 2025, Waymo One is available 24/7 to customers in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
- The current Waymo fleet features over 1,500 vehicles. By 2026, the company expects to add 2,000 more.
- Surpassed 100 million miles of autonomous driving in July 2025.
- Waymo plans to launch in Miami, Dallas, and Washington in 2026 and recently announced expansion plans for London.
In September, the company received permission to operate commercially at San Francisco International Airport and San Jose Mineta International Airport. Before that, it revealed it would begin testing Denver and Seattle for expansion.
Waymo will have safety drivers in the front seat while it tries out these new markets. The company has been running similar tests in New York City.
On Nov. 3, the company shared plans to expand to a few more cities.
Waymo hopes to expand its fleet to over 2,000 vehicles by 2026.
Image source: Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Waymo expands to San Diego, Detroit, and Las Vegas
Waymo is planning to hit the streets of San Diego, Detroit, and Las Vegas in the coming months, allowing WaymoOne users in those cities to hail an autonomous ride once the system is up and running.
The company says it will begin operations in San Diego next year, in Detroit “soon,” and in Las Vegas next summer.
Related: Waymo is under the microscope over latest mistake
Waymo says it has “regularly tested in Detroit during winter weather to develop our capabilities in snow and ice. We’ve made great strides in our efforts to operate in heavier snow — including testing in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula — and look forward to the 6th generation Waymo Driver navigating Detroit streets this winter.”
The company also says it is “returning” to Las Vegas, as the company passed the first U.S. state self-driving test in Nevada in 2012. Waymo points out that Nevada is the sixth-most dangerous state for driving, and Las Vegas accounts for 43% of the state’s car crashes.
Waymo says it is working to “expand its deployment permits” in San Diego as it conducts community outreach and trains first responders in the city.
Waymo safety issue prompts NHTSA probe
Earlier this year, Tesla Robotaxi took some heat after a video surfaced of an autonomous Tesla ignoring a school bus stop sign, speeding past the vehicle, and hitting a child dummy in a simulated test.
Now NHTSA is probing Waymo for a similar issue.
Related: Waymo shows the secret to avoiding traffic tickets in funny video
NHTSA opened a Preliminary Evaluation to investigate an estimated 2,000 Waymo 5th-gen automated driving system-equipped vehicles.
The agency is investigating “traffic safety violations relating to stopping when encountering a school bus, particularly when the bus is boarding or offboarding students.”
The investigation arose following a media report that showed the vehicle failed to remain stopped when approaching a school bus that was stopped with its red lights flashing and stop arm deployed.
NHTSA’s notice explained what happened:
The notice also indicated: “During this maneuver, the Waymo AV passed the bus’s extended crossing control arm near disembarking students (on the bus’s right side) and passed the extended stop arm on the bus’s left side.”
No safety operator was in the vehicle at the time of the incident.
“Operations involving Waymo’s ADS currently accumulate approximately two million miles weekly. Based on NHTSA’s engagement with Waymo on this incident and the accumulation of operational miles, the likelihood of other prior similar incidents is high,” NHTSA said.