Waymo's sixth-generation self-driving technology, which is designed to navigate extreme weather, will begin testing in new vehicles such as the Zeekr and Ioniq 5.

This expansion follows a partnership established in 2024, which allows Uber to manage Waymo's fleet of autonomous vehicles in these cities.

Currently, Waymo operates fully autonomous rides in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles through its Waymo One app, which is available 24/7.

Phoenix was the first city to offer fully autonomous rides to the public in 2020, with no waiting list required to hail a ride via the Waymo One app.

While Waymo is scaling back its trucking efforts to concentrate on ride-hailing, it believes that advancements in its driving technology will still benefit future trucking initiatives.

Waymo's autonomous fleet primarily consists of Jaguar I-Pace models, with plans to integrate Hyundai Ioniq 5 vehicles as part of a partnership announced in October 2024.

In addition to Austin and Atlanta, Waymo is also planning to introduce its services in Miami by 2026, following extensive weather testing to ensure reliability.

San Francisco began its fully autonomous rides in late 2022 and has since expanded its service area to 55 square miles, eliminating the waiting list by June 2023.

Waymo, the autonomous driving subsidiary of Alphabet, is set to expand its services to Austin and Atlanta through Uber's app in early 2025, aiming to enhance the accessibility of autonomous rides.

Los Angeles launched its driverless rides in November 2024, providing access to nearly 80 square miles of the city through the Waymo One app.

Waymo reports providing over 150,000 rides weekly and claims its technology is significantly safer than human drivers, based on 14.8 million miles of driving data.

Additionally, Waymo is exploring the potential for fully autonomous highway travel and has recently commenced testing its vehicles on freeways in Phoenix.