Just after it emerged that Google was scaling back its self-driving car ambitions, the technology company has announced Project X will now form its own company under the Alphabet umbrella.
Dubbed Waymo, the company aims to put the brand at the forefront of self-driving technological development and according to chief executive John Krafcik, will expand into varying markets including ridesharing, trucking and logistics.
According to Google, a key milestone for its autonomous vehicle ambitions came in October 2015 when Steven Mahan, a blind 63-year-old, became the first member of the public to ride in one of the firm’s self-driving prototypes on public roads, free of any steering wheel, pedals or even a Google engineer on board.
In the eight years that Google has been testing its technology, its autonomous prototypes have driven over 2 million miles on public roads. The technology is so advanced that Google’s cars can pull over if they detect nearby emergency vehicles, brake or swerve to avoid animals on the road, read hand signals from police and construction workers and knowing the appropriate times to honk at other drivers.
Speaking at the launching of Waymo, Krafcik reiterated the company’s belief that it is not about making cars and instead wants to make better drivers.
“We are a self-driving technology company. We’ve been really clear that we’re not a car company although there’s been some confusion on that point. We’re not in the business of making better cars. We’re in the business of making better drivers.”
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