Waymo, Google’s self-driving car subsidiary, is expanding. Again. This time, it's not just about the familiar hotspots like San Francisco, Phoenix, or Austin. Waymo has set its sights on at least ten new cities for autonomous driving tests, inching ever closer to a future where self-driving taxis are a daily reality.

But before you start fantasizing about ditching your driver’s license or taking a nap in a robotaxi, there’s a catch—these tests don’t mean Waymo is ready for public rides in these cities just yet. The company is playing a long game, gathering data, tweaking algorithms, and negotiating with local governments before rolling out full-fledged self-driving services.

The Expanding Web of Waymo’s Self-Driving Tests

Waymo recently confirmed that it has begun testing in San Diego and Las Vegas, with Washington, DC, added to the list via a social media announcement. That’s three down, seven (at least) to go. The remaining locations are still under wraps, with Waymo hinting that it will reveal them only after hashing things out with city officials.

It’s a strategic expansion, not just a random rollout. Waymo isn’t just picking cities with good press coverage or tech-friendly vibes—it’s choosing testing grounds that help stress-test its self-driving car systems.

• Weather trials in the Midwest: Waymo has been running winter weather tests in Michigan and upstate New York, tackling icy roads and snow-blind sensors.

• Urban chaos in San Francisco: This city is already seeing 150,000 Waymo rides a month, giving the company an unparalleled dataset on high-density, unpredictable traffic.

• Commercial services in Miami: While it’s still in the early stages, Miami is on the list for future Waymo robotaxi operations.

• Tokyo, Japan: Waymo’s ambitions extend beyond the U.S., with road tests planned in one of the most crowded cities in the world.

Why These Cities? What Waymo is Really Testing

If Waymo is trying to perfect its self-driving technology, it needs to make sure its cars can handle more than just clear roads and sunny weather. The chosen cities provide a variety of conditions:

• San Diego and Las Vegas: Two sprawling urban environments with high tourist traffic, unpredictable human behavior, and the added challenge of managing autonomous driving around people who may not always be sober.
  

• Washington, DC: A city where regulations matter just as much as road conditions. Testing in the nation’s capital means Waymo is preparing for whatever political roadblocks might be coming its way.
  

• Austin: The Texas city has been at the forefront of self-driving taxi development, offering a mix of highways, downtown congestion, and a growing tech scene that embraces autonomous vehicles.

But beyond roads and weather, there’s a deeper layer to these tests: data acquisition. Waymo’s self-driving car systems learn through machine learning, meaning every mile driven in new conditions makes the algorithm sharper. The more diverse the driving conditions, the better the AI can predict edge cases—those weird, unexpected moments where a human driver might hesitate or react instinctively.

The Race Against Tesla’s Robotaxi Promise

Waymo isn’t operating in a vacuum. Elon Musk has once again claimed that Tesla will have a fully autonomous robotaxis on the road by this summer—a statement met with a mix of excitement and eye rolls.

Musk’s timeline has been… flexible. He has been promising Level 5 autonomy (where cars drive themselves with no human intervention) for years. Waymo, in contrast, is not promising robo-fantasy timelines but instead methodically expanding and refining its autonomous driving technology.

The difference is in approach. Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) features are designed to run on existing customer vehicles, gathering data from real drivers. Waymo, on the other hand, is focusing on dedicated self-driving taxi fleets, removing human-driven edge cases from the equation altogether.

The Regulatory Storm Brewing in the Background

Waymo’s expansion comes at a time when the regulatory landscape for self-driving taxis is more uncertain than ever. The Trump administration has taken a stance that suggests tech companies might soon face fewer restrictions—at least, that’s the hope in Silicon Valley.

However, local governments have their own opinions. San Francisco has already thrown multiple legal challenges at robotaxi companies, citing safety concerns and traffic disruptions. Los Angeles, another key Waymo city, has a deeply skeptical city council that hasn’t been quick to roll out the red carpet for self-driving services.

If Waymo wants to scale up its self-driving taxi operations, it’s going to need more than just cutting-edge technology. It will need political goodwill, public trust, and a solid track record of safety—none of which are guaranteed.

The Future of Hybrid Cars vs. Full Autonomy

One of the quiet debates happening in the background is whether hybrid cars will play a role in the autonomous future. Most of Waymo’s self-driving fleet consists of fully electric vehicles, but hybrid cars still dominate the market in many cities.

A key question is whether autonomous driving can be scaled efficiently without a full shift to electric vehicles. Tesla, of course, is all-in on EVs, while other automakers are hedging their bets with hybrid solutions that allow for both human and autonomous control.

Waymo’s strategy has been to partner with established automakers like Jaguar and Chrysler to develop its self-driving taxi fleet, rather than manufacturing its own vehicles. This gives it a level of flexibility that Tesla lacks, though it also means Waymo doesn’t control its production pipeline in the same way Tesla does.

Will You See a Waymo Self-Driving Car in Your City Soon?

So, is Waymo coming to your city? Maybe—but not for public rides just yet. The company is in testing mode, gathering information, and fine-tuning its self-driving systems before it rolls out widespread autonomous taxi services.

Here’s what we do know:

• Waymo is already providing 150,000 robotaxi rides per month in places like San Francisco, Phoenix, and LA.

• New testing locations are being added, with at least 10 cities planned.

• Regulatory approval remains one of the biggest hurdles for expanding self-driving taxis.

Tesla’s robotaxi promises may push Waymo to move faster—but Waymo has taken a slow and steady approach to ensure reliability.