Waymo begins testing in Chicago and Charlotte

Waymo said Wednesday it will bring its robotaxis to Chicago and Charlotte as part of its push to continue expanding the reach of self-driving vehicles.

Starting today, Waymo will begin manual mapping and early data collection to lay the groundwork for operations in those cities. Waymo typically enters a new city by conducting months of manual driving and mapping to understand local road conditions, traffic patterns and edge conditions before gradually introducing autonomous tests and eventually fully driverless operations.

While Charlotte — with its suburban design and mild weather — may be an easier use case, Chicago’s harsh winters, heavy traffic, and dense urban complexity will pose a greater challenge for Waymo. Operating there successfully would strengthen Waymo’s argument that its system is scalable on a national level. It also gives Waymo another shot in an upstate city after New York dropped a proposal that would have allowed commercial robotaxi pilots to be based in parts of the state.

The news comes the same week that Waymo began offering driverless commercial operations in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando, bringing its total number of cities to 10.

Aside from Chicago and Charlotte, Waymo is also testing and planning to launch in Denver, London, and Washington, D.C., among other cities. The Alphabet-owned self-driving vehicle company earlier this month secured $16 billion in funding to expand internationally.