Waymo applies for driverless self-driving cars to test

Waymo, the self-driving car division of Google’s parent company Alphabet, has made a request to test cars that no longer have a driver. Previously, there was always a driver present to intervene if necessary.

That reports the San Francisco Chronicle based on sources Friday. A Waymo spokesperson then confirmed that he had applied for driverless self-driving car testing in the US state of California. The company wants to do this near its headquarters in Mountain View. It is not clear from the reports whether the application has already been approved.

Waymo uses the Chrysler Pacifica for its self-driving car tests. It is plausible that it also wants to use these cars for the tests in which there is no longer a driver for possible interventions. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Waymo wants to map territory for its tests by doing rides with an additional driver, then attempting completely driverless rides.

There are several companies that are testing self-driving cars, but in most cases they have a driver who can intervene if the software creates unsafe situations. Recently, however, it has become possible to apply in California to leave the driver at home. There is another company that has applied to no longer allow drivers, but it is not known who that is.