Waymo, the self-driving unit of Alphabet $GOOGL ( ▼ 2.08% ) , is accelerating its rollout across the U.S. with plans to launch operations in Chicago and Charlotte. As in previous markets, the company will begin with manual testing and mapping before moving to fully driverless rides and eventually a public ride-hailing service.
No official timeline was provided, but the rapid pace of recent launches suggests the wait may not be long.
From cautious rollout to full throttle
Waymo’s expansion used to be slow and deliberate. After debuting fully driverless public service in Phoenix in 2020, it took years to add new cities, with San Francisco following in 2024 and Atlanta later on.
Now the strategy looks very different. In just this year alone, Waymo has rolled out services across multiple markets, including Miami, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Orlando, many of them launching on a phased “rolling” basis.
The company currently operates in 10 cities, with another 20 planned globally, including a projected 2026 launch in London.
Robotaxi race intensifies
Waymo’s biggest challenger remains Tesla $TSLA, which is pursuing a different path to autonomy. Tesla already runs a small driverless fleet in Austin without safety monitors and offers supervised Full Self-Driving service in the Bay Area.
The automaker plans to expand that program to several additional U.S. cities in the first half of 2026, setting up a head-to-head competition between two radically different technological approaches.
Autonomy goes mainstream
With multiple cities coming online in quick succession, driverless ride-hailing is shifting from experimental pilot programs to a nationwide transportation network.
If the momentum continues, the question may soon change from “Will robotaxis work?” to “Which company will dominate the streets?”