Bite of Big Apple: Waymo will start mapping New York City

Far from the car-friendly confines of its metro Phoenix operating hub, self-driving tech company Waymo will soon start operations in the most densely populated city in the U.S.

The company said Wednesday that it will start mapping the streets of New York City this week. Starting with five of its Chrysler Pacifica minivans, Waymo's cars will start learning Manhattan's roads, primarily south of Central Park.

At least for the foreseeable future, the driving will happen strictly in manual mode. New York has more restrictive permitting and rules that govern self-driving operations, and a state law requires drivers to keep a hand on the steering wheel.

Those factors have dismayed self-driving companies such as Mobileye and Cruise, which both conducted temporary operations in the city in recent years before departing.

Might New York become more welcoming? Waymo says it has already met with Mayor-elect Eric Adams, who said in a written statement that "autonomous vehicles hold the promise to dramatically improve traffic flow and expand access to convenient and affordable transportation."

With a potential eye toward a time when city permitting and state laws change, Waymo intends to learn the city's "bustling avenues, unusual road geometries" and more, all while building its portfolio of cities in which it has experienced heavy rain and snowfall.

Waymo is mapping an area from the southern end of Central Park to the Financial District that will also extend through the Lincoln Tunnel and into Weehawken, N.J. Several of the company's Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicles will join the Pacificas in the New York fleet later.

To date, Waymo, the commercial descendant of Google's self-driving car project, has conducted tests in dozens of cities. Metro Phoenix and San Francisco are two areas of primary focus. Waymo has started commercial driverless service that's open to the public in Phoenix.

With wide streets, a business-friendly regulatory climate and sunny weather, the roads of Chandler and Tempe in Arizona have been an optimal place for the company to start service, albeit with an occasional hiccup. Someday, New York may prove far more challenging.