Rob AriasWaymo, the autonomous vehicle technology company owned by Google parent Alphabet, is reportedly “expanding testing” in Emeryville.
The report may not be what you think though as Waymo is already permitted to operate across the entire state as long as a human specialist is behind the wheel. This testing does not necessarily mean their driverless “robotaxi” service is imminent in the city although clearly the company has long-term plans to offer their service beyond just San Francisco and the Peninsula. Prior to expansion into new territories, Waymo builds sophisticated maps using manual mapping drives, sensor data, and AI.
E&E News (Environment & Energy), a publication owned by Politico, published a report today based on some communications between Waymo and 2025 Mayor David Mourra.
Mourra acknowledged that Waymo has reached out to him and the city but that “there was no time frame given for the expansion.” Mourra explained that he and the City have yet to actually meet with Waymo representatives.
According to E&E’s report, Mourra expressed excitement that they are considering expanding to Emeryville and the East Bay saying that as an avid biker, “he felt safer around the autonomous vehicles.”
Waymo PR Manager Ethan Teicher also denied that their were any immediate plans to offer their robotaxi rides in Emeryville. “We don’t have plans to expand to the East Bay in the near future,” Teicher replied to an inquiry we made back in March after first hearing a rumor of their entry into the East Bay. “But people in the East Bay may see Waymo vehicles in their community.”
Labor leaders have raised concerns over the technology eliminating jobs and have sought stricter regulations to slow the pace of their adoption.
Permitting autonomous vehicles is the authority of The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the DMV. Waymo’s proactive outreach to individual cities is likely a courtesy as approval by individual cities to operate is not required. Legislation has been proposed to grant cities and counties greater oversight, but as of now, the authority remains with the state.
“We will continue to engage with local officials and emergency responders as we bring our technology to more places across the state,” Teicher provided in a follow up email.
San Francisco has embraced the technology and it’s difficult to be in the city for more then a few minutes without seeing one of Waymo’s white Jaguar sedans with the spinning LiDAR scanner mounted to its roof.
Recently elected SF Mayor Daniel Lurie has embraced the technology and recently announced they were expanding Waymo’s usage to portions of Market Street that have previously been restricted to public transit, taxis, bicycles, and emergency vehicles.
Waymo recently announced expanding their services to parts of the Peninsula and recently got permission to offer rides in San Jose.
I’m mostly over my initial discomfort about Waymo cars driving near me. While they look weird and their spinning sensors are a bit distracting, I prefer them to the blind trust in black box AI that their competitors are attempting to force us into. I will never trust the safety of my family on the street to AI models that don’t fully sense their immediate surroundings.