Goodbye, Google. Hello, Waymo.
Leaders of the self-driving-car project that has sparked a surge of interest in autonomous vehicles since its creation seven years ago announced two major milestones Tuesday. First, the project is being spun off from its parent company and into its own independent entity known as Waymo, an amalgamation of ?a new way forward in mobility.?
As Waymo, which remains a subsidiary of Google’s Alphabet, company leaders say the project will further pursue commercialization of its autonomous-vehicle technology. CEO John Krafcik foresees deployment of the self-driving systems across multiple forms of transportation, including applications in ride-sharing services, commercial trucking, and personally owned vehicles.
While there are no specifics yet on how soon that technology will reach customers, Krafcik said the company?s engineers are drawing closer. He disclosed Tuesday that they reached another major milestone on October 20, 2015, when they launched a fully autonomous vehicle?sans traditional controls?on public roads in Austin, Texas. ?There?s no steering wheel, no pedals,? Krafcik said. ?It was a fully driverless ride.?

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?I was alone in the vehicle, and I trusted a vehicle with no steering wheel or pedals. The driver has been eliminated as a necessary component of the vehicle.? ? Steve Mahan, first official Google passenger

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That squares with the company’s mission to render those traditional controls obsolete. Affirming Waymo?s co...