GoKawiilWaymo and its fleet of robotaxis has made its way into Nevada, starting with Las Vegas. The company announced its expansion would be limited to a 24-mile service area surrounding the Las Vegas Strip, but would later widen the service footprint to cover more of the surrounding Clark County.
According to Waymo, the robotaxi fleet on Vegas roads will mostly be the Ojai all-electric minivans that are equipped with the sixth-generation Waymo Driver hardware meant to handle harsh weather conditions.
Last month, the Nevada Transportation Authority approved Waymo's application for an Autonomous Vehicle Network Company permit, leading up to its service launch in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas. The state authority also granted Tesla and Uber the same approvals, meaning those visiting should expect to see more driverless cars going up and down the strip. However, Zoox was the first robotaxi service to launch in Vegas, dating back to September of last year, and later expanded its footprint in Sin City.
Prior to expanding to Las Vegas, Waymo announced the launch of its robotaxi service in Denver, San Diego and Tampa, Florida earlier this month. However, the Alphabet subsidiary has grown its coverage beyond the US, even launching its robotaxi fleet in Munich, Germany in August.