Analysis:
With the public launch last year, Waymo became the first company in the world to open a Level 4 driverless robotaxi service without safety drivers to the general public. Although the launch was a bit behind schedule, and Waymo hasn’t scaled this service to any other locations as of press time, this was a monumental moment for the autonomous vehicle industry.

The Waymo One service isn’t perfect, there are still disengagements that require Waymo employees to manually take over control of the vehicles. But no other company in the U.S. can match what Waymo is doing. Fellow RBR50 company AutoX recently launched China’s first L4 robotaxi service without safety drivers in Shenzhen.

L4 driverless cars have arrived in the U.S., albeit in a limited capacity, thanks to Waymo. It recently ramped up its testing operations in San Francisco, and applied for a permit to charge for rides and delivery services. – Steve Crowe

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