Waymo, the autonomous driving company under Alphabet, has secured approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to operate its robotaxi service across 18 counties, marking a significant expansion of its operational footprint.

The newly approved expansion allows Waymo to enter communities including San Diego, Sacramento, and areas such as Marin, Napa, Orange County, and Riverside. The company's service zones around Los Angeles and San Francisco will more than triple in size. The expanded territory will ultimately stretch from Santa Clarita and Thousand Oaks down to San Diego in Southern California, and from Sacramento to San Jose in the Northern part of the state.

Waymo spokesperson Sandy Karp stated, "While the permit has been granted today, the expansion will be gradual and guided by a safety framework. The company's immediate focus is on preparing to launch driverless passenger service in San Diego later this summer and continuing to validate its technology in Sacramento." The Mountain View-based company announced on Friday that the CPUC had approved its application, which was originally filed in January.

This expansion follows the recent introduction of Waymo's new model, named "Ojai." Compared to the retrofitted Jaguar I-Pace vehicles it previously relied on, the Ojai is larger and has lower production costs. Waymo currently holds a leading position in the robotaxi sector, operating in over ten major cities. In contrast, Elon Musk's Tesla continues to face safety and operational challenges, while Amazon's Zoox just launched its first paid autonomous service in Las Vegas earlier this week.

Waymo's autonomous vehicles, which utilize cameras, sensors, and LiDAR, have accumulated over 220 million miles of fully autonomous driving. The company states that its data indicates a severe injury accident rate that is approximately 94% lower than that of human drivers. Despite this, incidents involving Waymo vehicles have drawn public criticism and concern, such as the event last year in San Francisco where a popular community cat was struck and killed. Waymo stated in a release, "We look forward to bringing the mobility and safety benefits that millions of people in California already enjoy to more communities, and we will remain in communication with local officials and residents every step of the way."