Waymo, self-driving car company that tested in Austin, under federal investigation
Waymo, a driverless car company that tested its vehicles in Austin, is under federal investigation.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a preliminary evaluation of Waymo on May 13 over reports that the cars caused traffic problems in a number of cities. The cars have allegedly been the sole vehicle responsible for collisions or traffic violations in nearly two dozen incidents, USA TODAY reported Thursday.
NHTSA is only investigating the 5th generation of cars made by Waymo, which is owned by Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google. The agency plans to focus its investigation on the cars' automated driving system and its ability to detect and respond to traffic control devices, according to NHTSA's notice.
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Did Waymo accidents occur in Austin?
None of the incident reports cited by NHTSA in its notice occurred in Austin, according to data analysis by the American-Statesman. Still, 17 of the incidents involved crashes or fires in other parts of the country, though they caused no reported injuries, according to NHTSA.
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When did Waymo begin operating in Austin?
Waymo began testing its self-driving vehicles in Austin in 2015. Google officially adopted the name Waymo in 2016.
The company closed its operations in Central Texas in 2019 to focus on projects in Michigan and Arizona, according to a Statesman report at the time. Waymo announced plans to return to Austin in March 2023 and made good on its promise a year later when it began testing its 5th generation driverless technology in the city.
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A short time later, Waymo announced it would be offering ride-hailing services to customers through its Waymo One app later in 2024.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Waymo, self-driving car company tested in Austin, under investigation
