Cars Without Drivers in San Francisco
Listen to the story (British accent)
The company Waymo can now operate their driverless cars in San Francisco.
Waymo, a company owned by Alphabet (Google), makes autonomous vehicles (AV) which do not need a driver.
Recently, a government agency in California gave permission to Waymo to test their driverless cars with passengers.
The company is not allowed to charge passengers for rides yet. It has to do more tests and get one more permit from the state. The company wants to launch a robotaxi service. The driverless cars will be used as taxis.
Waymo has been testing its AVs in San Francisco for some years. In March this year, the company started charging passengers for rides, but all of the cars had a “safety driver”.
The company also has permission to test its vehicles in Los Angeles, and wants to expand to Phoenix, Arizona next.
In the coming weeks, Waymo will start taking passengers in their driverless cars. Waymo says that passengers can ride in the cars any time, day or night. The AVs can travel at a maximum speed of about 105 kph (65 mph).
Waymo’s cars do not drive well in poor weather, but the company is collecting data to improve that.
Vocabulary16 words
- Operate
- to control or use a machine; to manage; run; use;
- Driverless
- without a driver; no driver; nobody controlling the vehicle
- Autonomous
- Can operate without being controlled directly by humans; something that functions separately or independently
- Vehicle
- a machine, usually with wheels and an engine, used for transporting people or goods
- Agency
- an organization, company, or department that provides a service; bureau
- Permission
- allowed to do; authorization; approval; it’s OK to do
- Passenger
- a person who is traveling in a vehicle, or on a train or plane, but is not driving it or working on it
- Allow
- permit; let; to give permission; OK
- Charge
- to ask someone to pay money for something that you are selling to them or doing
- Ride
- a journey made on a horse, bicycle, or motorcycle, or in a vehicle
- Permit
- an official document that gives someone authorization/permission to do something
- Launch
- start selling something; introduce a new product
- Service
- work done for other people; an act of assistance;
- Expand
- to increase in size or number; to open out; spread
- Poor
- not good; bad quality;
- Collect
- bring together; gather; take in
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