Free stock trading solutions offered by an online broker dealer can help you get started with the stock market. The market is full of opportunities, and successful stock trading requires you to identify these opportunities. The autonomous or driverless vehicle market is one of these minefields of opportunities out there, and one stock seems to have the vital advantage here since it's got a head-start.
Alphabet's Waymo Gets the Vital Edge
Alphabet ($GOOG, $GOOGL) could steal a march on other tech giants in autonomous vehicle development. Alphabet subsidiary Waymo is set to launch an autonomous ride-hailing service in which you wouldn't find any human being driving the vehicle. You wouldn't even find anyone sitting behind the steering wheel as a standby option. These will be fully autonomous cars, according to a Reuters report quoted by Nasdaq.
Currently, Waymo is carrying out tests of these cars on Phoenix, Arizona's public roads. Now, while other tech and automobile companies are testing or still developing their autonomous technologies, Waymo's advancement is the most radical since it doesn't need a driver behind the wheel even as a standby. That's something Alphabet's rivals have not quite managed to achieve.
Giving the Public a Taste of Driverless Tech
Waymo wants the public to ride in its autonomous Chrysler Pacifica minivans as part of a test run in the coming months. Phoenix has been chosen for its favorable weather, which is mostly dry. That's where autonomous technology still needs to catch up. Even Waymo's autonomous vehicle software developers have not been able to fine tune the technology for driving in heavy rain or snow.
Waymo’s First Customers
The people who take part in the trial will also be Waymo's first customers. They will use a ride-hailing app for this. Initially, the passengers will have a Waymo employee accompanying them in the back seat but later they will be travelling alone. The vehicles will be installed with a button for the passengers to stop them when required.
Waymo hasn't given any indications as to when it will launch the service in a wider sense though it's certain that's going to happen not too long from now. It's a warning sign for rivals to maybe hasten their efforts before Waymo enters the fray and grabs the initial market share.
Initially Waymo would offer the autonomous ride service for free, but would eventually begin charging. That would help it earn the revenue it needs for balancing the costs of developing this autonomous technology. There are legal aspects to consider too. Are state governments warming up to self-driving cars?
Any Legal Hurdles to Deal With?
Arizona does not place any restrictions on autonomous cars, but California and some of the other states do. The Reuters report on Nasdaq, however, reveals that the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does not believe any legal hurdles exist for autonomously operated cars that have been designed in a conventional manner. Guess that means Waymo's Chrysler Pacifica minivans are in.
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