Is Waymo ready for winter?

"During a recent all-hands meeting, Waymo's chief winter weather expert laid it out for all the company's engineers and product managers: if Waymo wants to expand to new cities and new markets, it's robotaxis will need to be able to confidently and safely handle the snow. In its first few years of operation, Waymo has strategically stuck to cities with warmer, drier climates - places like Phoenix, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Austin. But as it eyes a slate of East Coast cities, including Boston, New York City, and Washington, DC, for the next phase of its expansion, its abilities to handle more adverse weather will become a crucial test."

""Ha ha, good question," said Robert Chen, the company's product lead for weather, when I asked him when he hoped to validate the Waymo driver for winter operation. "This winter season is gonna be a really important season for us. I think that's all I can probably say at this point." There's an understanding that an inability to tackle winter roads could impede the usefulness of Waymo's robotaxi service, which could limit its growth into new cities."

Waymo has concentrated early operations in warmer, drier cities such as Phoenix, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Austin. Expansion plans target East Coast markets including Boston, New York City, and Washington, DC, where winter weather will present new operational challenges. Company leadership has emphasized that robotaxis must confidently and safely handle snow and ice for geographic growth to succeed. Validation of the Waymo driver for winter operation is a high priority for the upcoming season. Failure to address winter-road handling could reduce the service's usefulness and constrain expansion into additional cities.

Read at The Verge