Michigan Prepares for Waymo’s Driverless Car Service

But can these driverless cars detect and dodge Michigan's massive pot holes? I guess there's only one way to find out!

Waymo, the driverless rideshare service, is expanding into the Midwest-- starting with Michigan.

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Here's What We Know So Far:

If you're unfamiliar with Waymo, it works similar to other ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft however, there is one major difference:

There is no driver in front seat!

Well, when the service first debuts in Michigan later this year there will be human drivers in the front seat to start but according to Waymo officials, driverless vehicle service is anticipated to begin sometime next year.

Click On Detroit reports the company, which started as a Google subsidiary nearly a decade ago, currently operates in Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Austin, TX, is set to launch their 6th generation Waymo Driver in the Detroit-area as soon as this week.

A press release from the company reads as follows:

We’re proud of our roots in Metro Detroit, including in Novi, where we’ve had an engineering team for many years. We’ve also regularly tested in Detroit during winter weather to develop our capabilities in snow and ice. We’ve made great strides in our efforts to operate in heavier snow – including testing in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – and look forward to the 6th-generation Waymo Driver navigating Detroit streets this winter.

Would You Ride in a Driverless Car?

I was in the San Francisco area two years ago and in addition to seeing several Detroit automakers taking test vehicles for a spin out there, I also saw countless Waymo cars in use-- it's just common place out there! Could that soon be the case for the Motor City, as well as the rest of Michigan? Embrace the future! Including that new ChatGPT data center coming to Ann Arbor.