Waymo cites ride-sharing service or semi trucks as first use for their self-driving tech

Abner Li | Sep 13 2017 - 5:41 pm PT

Back in June, Waymo was rumored to be working on self-driving semi trucks, with images of such a vehicle emerging later that month. Meanwhile, the Alphabet division also began exploring a ride-sharing service in Phoenix this year.

During an interview today, CEO John Krafcik confirmed Waymo’s work on both and how their autonomous technology might first come to market through either of those uses.

The Waymo CEO revealed those efforts as part of an interview at a Bloomberg conference in New York City today. Krafcik, a long-time car executive, noted that both uses have their benefits.

He said that “Ride-sharing makes a lot of sense for the world,” with Waymo already piloting their Chrysler Pacifica minivans to the public as part of a Phoenix trial.

Krafcik also noted how “there’s a good and compelling use-case” for “goods transportation.” With the latter, the CEO confirmed that Waymo is examining delivery models and logistics of a vehicle that would primarily travel on highways instead of streets.

Spotted in June, Waymo currently has one autonomous truck that features a LIDAR stack and ultrasonic sensors on the top of the truck, as well as a radar sensor on the front bumper. Coincidently, Elon Musk announced today that Tesla plans to enveil their electric semi trick next month on October 26th.