Waymo self-driving cars secret weapon is simulation testing

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Waymo Jaguar.
Waymo

• Waymo has
  crossed the 10-million-mile barrier for self-driving
  cars.
• The company intends to begin a commercial rollout in
  Phoenix at the end of the year.
• To support miles driven in the real world, Waymo has
  amassed nearly 7 billion self-driving miles in
  simulation.

Waymo, once known as the Google Car project, has racked up more
self-driving miles than anybody. That makes sense, as the project
has been ongoing for about a decade. 

On Wednesday — 10/10, if you’re numerologically astute — Waymo
crossed 10 million miles. 

“When it comes to driving, experience is the best teacher,
and that experience is even more valuable when it’s varied and
challenging,”
CEO John Krafcik wrote in a Medium post.

“These millions of miles were driven
in 
25 cities
across the United
States: in sunny California, dusty Arizona, and snowy Michigan,
and from the high-speed roads around Phoenix to the dense urban
streets of San Francisco.”

Impressive, but what Waymo has been doing in the virtual
realm is downright astonishing. In computer simulations, Waymo
racks up 10 million miles every day. 

“By the end of the month, we’ll cross 7 billion miles driven,”
Krafcik added.

Those many, miles have gone from being an indicator of Alphabet’s
commitment — with the implicit question attached, for almost ten
years, of what the company would do with them — to being the
basis for a commercial ride-hailing service that will roll out at
the end of this year, first in Phoenix and then to other
cities. 

Eventually, Waymo expects to have thousands of self-driving
vehicles on the road, including Chrysler Pacifica minivans and
Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicles.

“While we’ve made great strides thanks to these 10 million
miles, the next 10 million will focus on turning our advanced
technology into a service that people will use and love,” Krafcik
noted.

The self-driving competition is picking up. After years when no
one was quite sure what Alphabet’s master plan was, everything
has suddenly snapped into focus. Meanwhile, General Motors’ plans
to launch it Cruise ride-hailing service in 2019, and Tesla
continues to insist that its own self-driving technology,
Autopilot, can develop fully autonomous capability.