Waymo gained a city permit to begin autonomous vehicle testing in New York City, allowing up to eight Jaguar I-Pace SUVs in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn through late September. Each vehicle must carry a trained safety operator in the driver's seat with at least one hand on the wheel, and the vehicles cannot carry passengers. The company must regularly meet with and report data to the Department of Transportation and secured required state DMV permits. The permit follows a new 2024 autonomous vehicle safety regime and required coordination with first responders, a testing plan, and documented operator qualifications. Waymo began mapping the city in 2021 and applied in June; an extension will be required to continue testing after September.
The company is allowed to deploy up to eight of its Jaguar I-Pace SUVs in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn through late September. Waymo's vehicles must have a trained safety operator in the driver's seat, with at least one hand on the wheel at all times. The company cannot pick up passengers (since it would need a license from the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission) and it has to regularly meet with and report data to the city's Department of Transportation (DOT),
The permit is part of a new autonomous vehicle safety regime launched by Mayor Eric Adams in 2024. To apply, Waymo had to coordinate with first responders, submit a testing plan to the local DOT, along with a safety plan that documented the qualifications of the vehicle operators, among other things. Waymo has also obtained the "necessary permits" from the New York state Department of MOtor Vehicles, according to the mayor's office.
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