Waymo will begin testing in Chicago and Charlotte

Waymo is bringing its robot to… chicago and Charlotte The company said on Wednesday, as part of its drive to further expand the scope of autonomous vehicles.

Starting today, Waymo will begin manual mapping and early data collection to lay the groundwork for operations in those cities. Waymo typically enters a new city by conducting months of manual driving and mapping to understand local road conditions, traffic patterns and edge conditions before gradually introducing autonomous tests and eventually fully driverless operations.

While Charlotte — with its suburban design and mild weather — may be an easier use case, Chicago’s harsh winters, heavy traffic, and dense urban complexity will pose a greater challenge for Waymo. Operating there successfully would strengthen Waymo’s argument that its system is scalable on a national scale. It also gives Waymo another shot in an upstate city after New York Drop a suggestion It would have allowed commercial robotaxi pilots to be based in parts of the state.

The news comes the same week that Waymo began offering driverless commercial operations in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando. This brings the total number of its cities to 10.

Aside from Chicago and Charlotte, Waymo is also testing and planning to launch in Denver, London, and Washington, D.C., among other cities. The Alphabet-owned self-driving vehicle company was announced earlier this month It earned $16 billion In financing to expand internationally.