Waymo, the company that operates a self-driving taxis, has begun transporting cars to Virginia to map Arlington and Alexandria, Wired reported.
Self-driving cars aren’t yet legal in Virginia, but a representative from Waymo told Wired that the mapping is “an important preparatory step should the Commonwealth authorize fully autonomous ride-hailing.” The spokesperson said the company is not currently planning a commercial service in Virginia.
Rich Harrington, a policy advisor at Waymo, spoke at a public Virginia Department of Transportation meeting on May 22. He confirmed that the cars were in Alexandria and coming soon to Arlington for mapping.
“The process to get the vehicles on the road has a very high cost, so when we come into a new community, the first thing that we’re doing is we’re mapping. We’re driving the vehicles around every part of the community, so we really build out that digital twin infrastructure so that our cars can function effectively,” Harrington said. He noted that Waymo had alerted city management in Arlington and Alexandria to this process.
Harrington said the process from mapping to getting cars on the road can take a year to 18 months. Drivers will operate the cars while they undertake the mapping process.
Currently, Waymo operates self-driving taxis in 11 U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, and Nashville. Its website lists 21 additional cities as “up next,” including Washington, DC, and Baltimore.
Virginia has yet to pass legislation on the topic, but it’s in the works. One bill in the state senate aims to create a framework for regulations in the commonwealth. But Sen. Saddam Salim, the chief patron of the bill, told ARLNow that he didn’t anticipate self-driving cars launching in Virginia until at least 2028.
Feature image courtesy Waymo
