Alphabet's Waymo CEO Confident Its Self-Driving Tech Could Avoid Uber-like Accident -- Update
25 März 2018 - 03:23AM
Dow Jones News
By Adrienne Roberts
LAS VEGAS -- The head of Google-parent Alphabet Inc.'s
self-driving car unit said he is confident its technology would be
able to spot someone crossing the street, avoiding an accident such
as the one in which an Uber Technologies Inc. self-driving car
struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona.
Waymo Chief Executive John Krafcik, speaking at the National
Automobile Dealers Association Show, said the March 18 Uber
accident struck a chord with him because the "car had technology
representing the self-driving space."
Police in Tempe, Ariz., said the Uber vehicle was in autonomous
mode with a human safety operator at the wheel when it hit
49-year-old Elaine Herzberg while she was walking her bicycle
outside of a crosswalk. The woman later died from her injuries.
In comparison to Uber's technology, Mr. Krafcik said he has "a
lot of confidence" that Waymo's self-driving system "would be
robust and able to handle situations like that," noting that
self-driving vehicles with Waymo technology have driven more than 5
million miles on public roadways.
Asked to comment on Mr. Krafcik's remarks, the first from Waymo
since the accident, Uber said "safety is our primary concern every
step of the way." The company added that it is "heartbroken by what
happened" in Arizona and it continues to assist investigators.
Since the accident, Uber has suspended its self-driving fleet.
Toyota Motor Corp. also decided to temporarily suspend testing
self-driving vehicles on public roadways, although other auto and
technology companies don't appear to be following suit.
Waymo and Uber are in a heated battle to develop and deploy
self-driving technologies. They and other tech and car companies
that are racing to roll out autonomous vehicles contend the
technology will ultimately save thousands of lives by eliminating
human error.
Last month, Uber agreed to settle a lawsuit with Waymo over
claims that Uber stole and inappropriately used trade secrets for
self-driving vehicles. As part of the agreement, Uber promised not
to use Waymo technology in its self-driving cars and to ensure no
Waymo components were already in use. Uber also gave Waymo equity
in the company.
The legal fight revolved around Uber's $680 million acquisition
in 2016 of autonomous-truck company Otto, founded by Anthony
Levandowski, a former star engineer at Alphabet's Google unit.
Waymo is ramping up its self-driving efforts, and agreed to
acquire thousands of minivans from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV
that will be delivered later this year.
The self-driving car division of Google took a historic step
forward in October when it began testing vehicles on public
roadways in the Phoenix metro area with employees in the back seat,
not at the wheel.
Write to Adrienne Roberts at Adrienne.Roberts@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 24, 2018 21:08 ET (01:08 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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