As of now, GOOGLE / WAYMO has started monetizing some of its autonomous vehicles. The development of WAYMO autonomous vehicles has been ongoing for more than 10 years and includes cars and trucks, as each is considered to have commercial potential. In four suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona (about a 100 mile zone), WAYMO ONE autonomous taxis are already in operation. Generating revenue after all these years of development and testing is a major milestone and puts WAYMO ahead of rivals like GM’s Cruise Automation and Uber Technologies. All players in this field will surely want to attract and retain customers and start to recoup the money invested in the technology so far.

So how does a customer use the WAYMO ONE taxi service? First, you need to download the WAYMO ONE app and provide your credit card details, and then you can use the app to notify the service of your needs, providing your location and a destination. Like UBER and LYFT, the app will provide a quote and a time for pickup. The service is touted to operate 24 hours a day, however it is now only available to a few hundred residents who signed up last year, and WAYMO has not disclosed the exact number of taxis in operation. To compare costs, WAYMO’s charge for a 15-minute ride (approximately 3 miles) is $ 7.60, while the comparable LYFT charge is $ 7.20.

Right now, WAYMO ONE taxis include a human in the driver’s seat, to intervene only in emergencies, and there is the in-car app or console to link passengers with a WAYMO ONE agent to answer questions and document comments. Some report that the ride is a bit slow and choppy at times. WAYMO works with passenger feedback to help perfect all aspects of the WAYMO ONE taxi experience. Only a handful of other startups have monetized driverless technology, in small ways, such as Boston’s OPTIMUS RIDE, which has contracts to provide driverless vehicle services in low-speed, enclosed environments such as gated commercial parks and senior facilities. .

There are still significant challenges to making money in the autonomous vehicle space. Across the US, there are many laws and regulations that do not provide a coherent framework for designing the necessary vehicles or software applications to function on their own. It is estimated that more than a billion dollars have been spent on driverless technology and more than 10 million miles have been traveled. Still, everyone is proceeding with great caution, wanting to ensure that early adopters only have safe and satisfying experiences, building enthusiasm, curiosity, and confidence. Given all that, the sky seems to be the limit for this exciting and disruptive technology.

Let Trend Disruptors be your guide to the future, as we continue to identify technology investment opportunities that can lead to financial success.

Stay tuned!