John Krafcik’s Post

Waymo is now at 50k trips / week. This means: - 15+ years of R&D leading to 50k L4 autonomous "no human driver" trips - Local ops teams charging and repairing cars to support 50k trips - Remote ops teams handling rider calls to support 50k trips - Community teams ensuring local leaders, law enforcement and general public concerns are being actively worked on to support 50k trips - Most importantly, it means we're one step closer, one piece of the puzzle closer, to Vision Zero in SF and all other major cities (cities and communities working together to create safer streets) This month is also my three-year anniversary at Waymo. When I joined Waymo in May 2021, we we're launched in Phoenix with minivans that needed gas stations. Three years later we are in four major markets and have electric vehicles efficiently routing, charging, parking, rebalancing, and providing value to local communities.. to the tune of 50k trips / week. Congrats to Waymo on this slow, safe, thoughtful growth trajectory. If you haven't experienced a Waymo yet, start your ride here: https://lnkd.in/grEtyu2Q

This is the first step of the Mobility Revolution

#AVs or #robotaxis are not ready 😕❓ Last week I took the ride in the #waymo vehicle in #SanFrancisco. We were in the car for one hour and experienced different driving conditions including a person trying to trespass. For the first 10 minutes, it was unusual to see that no one was driving the car but after that, we did not care much. 🚦 We tried to open the door on the route (just to test 😊) and the vehicle immediately slowed down. Need to improve this safety feature to ensure that doors are fully locked and the car should quickly pull on the sideway 💡 When we changed the route on the way, the rear seat light lit up so that the control room could see if all was okay ⛔ One truck blocked the road so the car tried to overtake from the other side but immediately pulled back when it noticed that it was not safe to pass #Technology may be still not fully ready for all types of #edge cases but we have come a long way. It is more important now that cities should start this discussion and see how #AV can be integrated with a larger #mobility ecosystem. The vehicles run to offer seamless mobility with #publictransport. UITP published the paper in 2018 to highlight that need (https://lnkd.in/gqSZpxHe) Thanks to William Riggs for making this happen 🙏

I spent a lovey Sunday afternoon ahead of NVIDIA #gtc2024 riding around San Francisco in Waymo robotaxis. It's been almost exactly a year since my last Waymo ride and that was before the company got it's permit to offer paid ride services to the public (recently expanded to include Los Angeles) In the interim I had several opportunities to ride with Cruise in Austin before their service was suspended. Compared to Cruise, the Waymo service was leaps and bounds better and clearly reflects the experience the company has gained through years of operation in the Phoenix area. Is the service actually truly safe? We don't have enough data to say that. But in riding from a starting point at the Stonestown Galleria on the SW side of the city to Fisherman's Wharf on the NE side, it definitely did a better job overall with path planning and decision making in heavy traffic than Cruise did. The automated Jaguar I-Pace was able to navigate through a busy parking lot filled with pedestrians and vehicles to pick me up directly from my location. Unlike Cruise I didn't have to walk to a limited location (with Cruise I've had to walk as much as 6 blocks) the AV could get to. It also dropped me off precisely where I asked. As a consumer service, Waymo One actually works today within its ODD which is one of the most complex cities in the US. Waits for a ride ranged from 3 to 11 minutes. It wasn't perfect, there was an inexplicable diversion off of Market St for a couple of blocks and the car went through one yellow light that was close and it arguably should have stopped, but otherwise the rides were rides were uneventful Now the next step for Waymo and other companies to really prove to the public why they should be trusted to operate safely and without making congestion worse. Guidehouse ES&I https://lnkd.in/dcUeg6g9

#AutonomousCommunity Here are five suggestions to help reduce fear and build confidence in using Autonomous Vehicle Services like Waymo ! Start with Short Trips 🏘️: Begin by taking short rides around your neighborhood or to nearby familiar destinations. This helps you get used to the vehicle's behavior in a controlled setting. Ride During Daylight ☀️: Schedule your initial trips during the day when visibility is better and traffic is often lighter, making the experience less intimidating. Bring a Friend 👫: Having a friend or family member with you can make the ride more enjoyable and comforting. It’s always nice to share a new experience with someone else. Engage with Support 📞: Use Waymo’s customer support to learn more about the vehicle's features and safety protocols. Understanding the technology can help reduce anxiety. Gradually Increase Trip Complexity 🌆: As you grow more comfortable, try longer routes or busier areas to build confidence in different driving conditions.

With signal jamming and hijacking rife in South Africa, would software soon enable you to take control back of your vehicle via pin code or will theft evolve to vehicle hacking? Then again, thinking of the series 'Class of 09', future Ai gov protocol might step in for theft, speeding and all sorts, all becoming well trained trains with guard rails to rile. Born to be child;)

'But the utility pole came out of nowhere!!' 😂 I often take a strip out of AI. It's not because I am trying to put it down. What it does is quite impressive, compared to where we were 10 or 20 years ago...but 'impressive' is relative - our brains do massive numbers of operations, which seem so natural , that we forget how complex the world is. We also forget that human beings (or their brains, to be precise), if we are going to take a mechanistic view of the world, are amongst the world's most efficient computers. Even if we could theoretically put together enough computing power to simulate a human brain with today's silicon, the power demands would be astronomical. We also ignore the fact that humans take between 5 and 15 (or more) years to really get to the cognitive level we have, something which AI does not have.

Living in SF feels like stepping into 2030. Waymos are everywhere since they opened to GA last week, alongside Zoox Test Vehicles, Rivians, Cybertrucks, and soon to come Archer Air-Taxis. It's a daily reminder of why this city remains the center of innovation. As an early adopter, I've been commuting via Waymo for a few months now. The evolution has been remarkable: 1. Safety? Check. Never once felt unsafe in my months of daily commute. If anything, it's overly cautious and polite, for example yielding every time there's an emergency vehicle in a nearby radius, even if not on the path. 2. Comfort? Hardly any abrupt braking, smoother rides, less motion sickness. 3. Privacy? Your own bubble with your own music. What's interesting is the adoption curve. I've noticed a clear divide: skepticism about driverless taxis until people actually experience it. Yet, every Uber/Lyft driver I've chatted with in SF seems unfazed by Waymo, and believe it will never become the norm. Watching pedestrians and drivers react is amusing when I ride in one. The photos, the questions – it's a constant reminder that we're living in the future, right now. With Waymo expanding to other cities (hello, Atlanta!), I'm curious to see how they'll tackle highways and how different markets will respond. Every airport run has me dreaming of the day Waymo goes long-distance. Who else is riding the autonomous wave? Curious to hear your experiences and predictions. #Waymo #DriverlessTaxi #AIinMotion #FutureOfWork

Planned expansion of Waymo service sees mixed reactions - CBS News: Planned expansion of Waymo service sees mixed reactions  CBS News #car #cars #awesome

Cruise Robotaxi Rides Will Be >$3/mile, But They’ll Get Better: With costs approaching $1/mile, Cruise (and Waymo) can start experimenting with the real economics of robotaxis http://dlvr.it/Stn6Bf