History of Waymo in Timeline
Waymo, formerly Google's self-driving car project, is an American autonomous driving technology company headquartered in Mountain View, California, and is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. The company focuses on developing and deploying fully autonomous driving technology for various applications, including ride-hailing and logistics. Waymo is considered a leader in the autonomous vehicle industry, having accumulated millions of miles of real-world driving experience and simulation testing. Its ultimate aim is to make transportation safer and more accessible by removing the need for human drivers.
2012: Castle Test Facility Established
In 2012, Castle, a former airbase in Central Valley, California, was established as Waymo's training course.
2014: Criticisms of Waymo's Technology
In 2014, a critic wrote that unmapped stoplights would cause problems with Waymo's technology and the self-driving technology could not detect potholes.
July 2015: Google's Self-Driving Cars Involved in Minor Collisions
By July 2015, Google's 23 self-driving cars had been involved in 14 minor collisions on public roads. Google maintained that in nearly all cases, the vehicle was not at fault.
2017: Waymo Begins Testing in Harsher Conditions, Including Michigan
Beginning in 2017, Waymo began testing in areas with harsher conditions, such as its winter testing in Michigan.
2017: Waymo Highlights Business Uses for Autonomous Tech
In 2017, Waymo highlighted four specific business uses for its autonomous tech: robotaxis, trucking and logistics, urban public transportation, and passenger cars.
2017: Waymo Testing in Michigan and Unveiling of Castle Test Facility
In 2017, Waymo initiated testing in Michigan to evaluate performance in harsher weather conditions. Also in 2017, Waymo unveiled its Castle test facility in Central Valley, California, which has been used as a training course since 2012.
July 2018: Uber Halts Production of Self-Driving Trucks Through Otto
Uber announced that it was halting production of self-driving trucks through Otto in July 2018, and the subsidiary company was shuttered.
October 2018: Waymo Receives Permit for Driverless Car Operation
In October 2018, the California Department of Motor Vehicles issued a permit for Waymo to operate cars without safety drivers, making Waymo the first company to receive such a permit for day and night testing on public roads and highways.
December 2018: Waymo Launches Waymo One
In December 2018, Waymo launched Waymo One to transport passengers, using safety drivers to monitor some rides, with others provided in select areas without them.
July 2019: Waymo Receives Permission to Transport Passengers
In July 2019, Waymo received permission to transport passengers, expanding the scope of its autonomous vehicle operations.
November 2019: Waymo One Operates Without Safety Drivers
In November 2019, Waymo One became the first autonomous service worldwide to operate without safety drivers, marking a significant milestone in autonomous transportation.
January 2020: Waymo Completes Twenty Million Miles of Public Road Driving
By January 2020, Waymo had completed twenty million miles (32,000,000 km) of driving on public roads, demonstrating significant progress in autonomous vehicle testing.
July 2020: Waymo and Stellantis Expand Partnership
In July 2020 Waymo and Stellantis expanded their partnership, including the development of Ram ProMaster delivery vehicles.
2020: Waymo Via Launched
Waymo Via was launched in 2020 to work with OEMs to get its technology into vehicles.
July 2021: NHTSA Finds 150 Crashes Involving Waymo
By July 2021, the NHTSA had found 150 crashes involving Waymo vehicles. Crashes were reported if the system was in use in the prior 30 seconds, with most crashes not resulting in injuries.
August 2021: Waymo One Test Service Starts in San Francisco
In August 2021, commercial Waymo One test service started in San Francisco, beginning with a "trusted tester" rollout, marking an expansion into a new city.
2021: Waymo Cars Routing Through Richmond District
In 2021, Waymo cars kept routing through the Richmond District of San Francisco, with up to 50 cars each day driving to a dead end street before turning around.
January 2022: Waymo Sues California DMV to Prevent Release of Crash Data
In January 2022, Waymo sued the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to prevent data on driverless crashes from being released to the public, citing trade secret concerns.
February 2022: Waymo Prevents Release of Robotaxi Safety Records
In February 2022, Waymo was successful in preventing the release of robotaxi safety records, with a spokesperson affirming the company's commitment to transparency.
March 2022: Waymo Offers Driverless Rides to Staff in San Francisco
In March 2022, Waymo began offering rides for Waymo staff in San Francisco without a driver, demonstrating further advancement in its autonomous driving technology.
May 2023: Waymo Robotaxi Kills a Dog in San Francisco
In May 2023, a Waymo Robotaxi killed a dog in San Francisco while operating in "autonomous mode", resulting in public backlash.
2023: Waymo Applications for Exemption from Driver Rules
In 2023 Waymo issued a joint application along with Aurora Innovation to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for a five-year exemption from rules that require drivers to place reflective triangles or a flare around a stopped tractor-trailer truck, to avoid needing human drivers, in favor of warning beacons mounted on the truck cab.
2023: Waymo Claims High Safety Record
In 2023, Waymo claimed only 3 crashes with injuries over 7.1 million miles driven, asserting its vehicles are nearly twice as safe as human drivers.
2023: Waymo Vehicle Malfunctions During Ride
In 2023, a video showed a Waymo vehicle stopping at a green light and dropping a journalist at the wrong stop twice, despite support intervention.
2023: Safe Street Rebel Protests Waymo and Cruise Cars
In 2023, the San Francisco group Safe Street Rebel used a practice called "coning" to trap Waymo and Cruise cars with traffic cones as a form of protest, citing hundreds of incidents.
2023: San Francisco Officials Log Safety Hazard Incidents
In the first five months of 2023, San Francisco officials said they had logged more than 240 incidents in which a Cruise or Waymo vehicle might have created a safety hazard.
February 2024: Waymo Robotaxi Strikes Cyclist and Issues Vehicle Recalls
In February 2024, a driverless Waymo Robotaxi struck a cyclist in San Francisco. Later that month, Waymo issued recalls for 444 of its vehicles after two hit the same truck being towed on a highway.
May 2024: NHTSA Launches Investigation into Waymo Vehicles
In May 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched an investigation into potential flaws in Waymo vehicles, focusing on 31 incidents that included vehicle collisions.
October 2024: Waymo Achieves 100,000 Paid Rides Per Week
As of October 2024, Waymo is offering 100,000 paid rides per week across its Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles markets, showcasing increasing adoption of its robotaxi service.
2024: NHTSA Receives Reports Documenting Incidents Involving Waymo Vehicles
By the end of 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had received 835 reports documenting 696 incidents involving Waymo vehicles, indicating heightened scrutiny and reporting of autonomous vehicle incidents.
2024: Waymo Car Attacked During Lunar New Year Celebration
During the 2024 Lunar New Year in San Francisco Chinatown, protestors attacked, graffitied, and set fire to a Waymo car.
2024: San Francisco and San Mateo Oppose Expansion of Driverless Vehicles
In 2024, the city attorney of San Francisco attempted to sue to prevent expansion of driverless vehicles including Waymo into San Francisco. San Mateo County government soon after also sent a letter to regulators opposing expansion to its county.
2024: Noise Pollution Complaints from Waymo Vehicle Honking
In August of 2024, residents of San Francisco's SoMa district began to complain about noise pollution from Waymo vehicles honking at each other in a local parking lot.
January 19, 2025: First Fatal Accident Involving a Waymo Car
On January 19, 2025, the first fatal accident involving a Waymo occurred in San Francisco, when a Tesla traveling at 98 mph struck multiple vehicles, including an unoccupied Waymo car, resulting in a death and several injuries.
March 2025: Waymo Achieves 200,000 Paid Rides Per Week
As of March 2025, Waymo is offering 200,000 paid rides per week in its existing markets, including Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
March 2025: Waymo Expands Commercial Robotaxi Services to Silicon Valley and Austin
In March 2025, Waymo expanded its commercial robotaxi services to Silicon Valley and Austin, Texas. The Silicon Valley rollout marked the company’s first official service in the region, while in Austin, Waymo partnered with Uber.
