California approves Google Waymo to transport passengers on driverless roads

In the wave of AIoT and 5G, autonomous driving has always been a very hot field. However, at the commercial level, only BMW is about to mass-produce L3 level autonomous driving, and most of them are focusing on L3 technology.

However, Internet companies that take advantage of their artificial intelligence advantages often start their research and development at the L4 level, such as Waymo of Alphabet (Google's parent company). According to foreign media reports, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has recently issued a license to Waymo for its California driverless car passenger service pilot.

However, Waymo also faces some restrictions, such as no charging for rides, vehicles must be equipped with appropriate safety drivers, and Waymo also needs to provide the CPUC with total passenger mileage and safety protocols. At the same time, Waymo also needs to ensure that all test drivers need to pass its corresponding training. The CPUC also exempted Waymo's driverless startup from using third-party safety operators.

Waymo is not the first to obtain a license. As early as December, Zoox obtained the first batch of licenses from the CPUC, and Pony.ai and AutoX have also obtained relevant licenses.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.