Minnesota would be one of Waymo’s first true winter-weather markets starting this year, according to MPR News. 

Waymo, founded in 2009 as a Google self-driving car project, currently operates a taxi service using autonomous cars and SUVs in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and Atlanta. 

When asked by the Minnesota Daily about its Minnesota operations, Waymo said it is not yet ready to release public details about where or how widely it plans to test.

“Our operations in the area are currently focused on internal testing with our team riders,” the Waymo team said in an email to the Daily. “As soon as we move into a new phase of our operations or have more details about our Minneapolis service area, we will communicate that information publicly.”

As Waymo begins testing its autonomous vehicles on Minneapolis streets, the city is responding to what a driverless future could mean. 

“Self-driving cars are part of the future, but cities need to be able to work with operators to keep our streets safe and traffic efficient,” city spokesperson Allen Henry said. 

City officials are preparing to work closely with Waymo, as the company begins supervised testing with human drivers behind the wheel.

“Minneapolis is a city with a strong legacy of technological leadership,” Henry said. “We look forward to continuing the conversation with Waymo as they begin testing their vehicles with human drivers.”

Minnesota Department of Transportation spokesperson Anne Meyer said the state has been studying automated vehicles for years. 

“State law neither prohibits nor specifically authorizes automated vehicles to conduct testing on streets in Minnesota,” Meyer said. “However, the company met with our team to share information, build knowledge about their automated vehicles, and about their intent to conduct winter weather testing.”

Kenny Kao, a Minneapolis-based software engineer who attended college in California, said the idea surprises him.

Kao saw Waymo vehicles often while living near San Francisco. He said Minnesota presents a new kind of challenge.

“I personally don’t think it will work here,” Kao said. “Snow will be a big obstacle.”

Waymo’s system relies on detailed maps of every route its cars drive, Kao said. The vehicles combine those maps with camera and sensor data to detect lane markings, traffic lights and other cars. 

“When it snows, everything changes,” Kao said. “The lanes disappear. Sometimes, a three-lane highway becomes two lanes after the plows come through. The car has to figure that out in real time, and that information isn’t always updated.”

Despite popular assumptions, Kao said the amount of artificial intelligence inside most self-driving cars is more limited than people expect. 

“From what I understand, not too much is truly AI yet,” Kao said. “A lot of it is still road mapping and basic decision-making.”

Meyer said the agency sees emerging technologies as potential tools to improve transportation. 

“We see transportation technologies, like automated vehicles, enhancing our system to better meet the needs of our state,” Meyer said.

Meyer said safety remains MnDOT’s top priority, as AVs begin mixing with regular traffic and affect roads shared by drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.

“Safety for all users is MnDOT’s top priority and we will continue to monitor how new transportation technologies are deployed on our system,” Meyer said. “We expect AV legislation to come up during the next legislative session and look forward to being included in those discussions.”