Waymo Says Its Autonomous Vehicles Logged 5 Million Test Miles

(Bloomberg) -- Waymo's autonomous vehicles have now logged 5 million test miles, and it wants more of the world to experience that progress -- at least virtually.

Alphabet Inc.'s car unit disclosed the new milestone on Wednesday, along with a promotional push to educate the general public on the nascent technology. Waymo created a 360-degree video of a self-driving ride, culled from footage of its test fleet in Phoenix.

Before it launches a commercial service this year, Waymo, like other companies with driverless programs, must convince people that the technology is reliable and safe. Earlier this week, California regulators introduced new rules that allow tests without safety drivers present, something Waymo pushed for. In its Phoenix tests, the company has "found that people who ride with Waymo tend to relax quickly," Meiling Tan, Waymo's marketing lead, wrote in a blog post.

On Wednesday, Waymo also said its test cars have driven more than a million miles in just under three months. It took over five years to complete the first million miles.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Bergen in San Francisco at mbergen10@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Alistair Barr, Mark Milian

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