Waymo says it is beginning fully autonomous operations with its sixth-generation Waymo Driver, a major step in the company's effort to scale robotaxi service across more cities and vehicle platforms.
The sixth-generation system combines cameras, lidar and radar, giving the vehicle overlapping perception methods for complex driving conditions. That redundancy is central to Waymo's safety argument: when one sensor type is limited, another can provide critical information.
Scaling is the real test
Autonomous driving companies have spent years proving that cars can drive themselves in limited areas. The harder test is scaling operations while maintaining safety, cost discipline and service quality. That means manufacturing, maintenance, charging, cleaning, customer support and regulatory compliance become as important as algorithms.
Waymo's factory and city-expansion plans suggest the industry is moving from research milestones into infrastructure deployment. Robotaxis will not arrive everywhere at once, but the market is becoming more concrete.
Source reference: Waymo announced fully autonomous operations with its sixth-generation Waymo Driver in February 2026.
