New autonomous vehicle company en route for testing in Austin

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As autonomous vehicle technology advances, a new company will soon begin piloting its latest prototype here in Austin.

Autonomous vehicle company Waymo will begin testing its fifth generation driver, called the Jaguar I-Pace, throughout central and east Austin.

Pilot testing locations include downtown, along Rainey Street, within the Market District, near the State Capitol and in the Clarksville, Bouldin Creek and Holly neighborhoods, per a company news release.

Currently, the company operates ride-hailing services in San Francisco and Phoenix. While there aren't "immediate plans" to launch in Austin, Waymo officials said "testing in the city will help us improve our underlying technology everywhere we drive."

"A lot of the experiences you encounter on Austin's roads will help us improve the Waymo Driver everywhere we operate, both today and in the future," said Nathaniel Fairfield, Waymo's distinguished software engineer, in the release.

Other previous testing sites include Miami, New York City and Bellevue, Washington. Testing cities help the company improve performance in busier areas, corridors with high pedestrian and cyclist traffic, as well as places with rainy climates.

Waymo is the latest AV company to take to the Lone Star State's capital. During the 2023 South by Southwest Conference & Festivals last month, General Motors' Cruise announced it would unveil its "robotaxi" technology in Austin in the coming months.

This isn't the first time Waymo's AV technology has made its way into Austin.

Back in October 2015, Steve Mahan became the first person globally to ride in a fully autonomous vehicle sans driver. He completed the feat in Austin while riding in Waymo's Firefly prototype, per the release.