Waymo to begin testing autonomous vehicles in Munich

Aug 25 (Reuters) – Self-driving technology company Waymo said on Tuesday it would begin testing its autonomous vehicles in Munich in the coming weeks, laying the groundwork for a commercial ride-hailing service in Germany that it aims to launch toward the end of 2027.

Here are more details:

• Waymo said its vehicles would initially drive manually across Munich to map local roads and test with trained autonomous specialists behind the wheel.

• The Alphabet-owned company said the testing period will help its autonomous driving system adapt to Munich’s driving conditions before commercial operations begin.

• The company said it is already engaging with local, state and federal officials on regulatory approvals needed to offer its service in Germany.

• Waymo said it plans to invest in local fleet operations and create high-skilled jobs as it prepares to launch in Munich.

• Uber, Verne and Pony.ai launched autonomous rides in Zagreb last week, making the Croatian capital the first European city where users could book a self-driving vehicle through Uber’s app.

• Waymo raised $16 billion earlier this year at a $126 billion valuation as it expands its robotaxi business.

(Reporting by Anzar Mehraj in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)