Waymo, the Alphabet-owned autonomous vehicle company, is set to expand its testing to 10 new cities in the US, with Las Vegas and San Diego being the first to get the self-driving treatment. According to a report by The Verge, Waymo will send fewer than 10 autonomous vehicles (AVs) to each city, where they will be manually driven to test the company's technology in new environments.

This move comes ahead of Tesla's 2024 fourth-quarter earnings call, where investors will be keenly listening for updates on the automaker's robotaxi and self-driving initiatives. While Waymo's expansion is significant, it's worth noting that this doesn't necessarily mean the company will launch commercial operations in any of these cities, or even test them in autonomous mode.

Waymo is already operating a commercial robotaxi service in three cities – Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles – with plans to launch in Austin, Atlanta, and Miami this year. The company's strategy typically involves sending a limited human-driven fleet to test across a broad range of city and driving conditions, allowing its system to adapt to new environments.

In 2024, Waymo tested its vehicles in Michigan and upstate New York to test its technology in harsher winter conditions. This latest expansion is likely to provide valuable insights into how its system performs in different urban environments, paving the way for potential future commercial launches.

The news is significant not only for Waymo but also for the broader autonomous vehicle industry. As companies like Tesla, Cruise, and Argo AI continue to develop and test their self-driving technologies, the competition for market share and regulatory approval is heating up. Waymo's expansion into new cities is a clear indication of its ambition to dominate the robotaxi market, and its ability to adapt to different environments will be crucial in achieving that goal.

While Waymo has not confirmed whether it will launch a robotaxi service in any of the cities it tests this year, the company's aggressive expansion plans suggest that it's only a matter of time before we see self-driving taxis on the roads of Las Vegas, San Diego, and beyond. As the autonomous vehicle landscape continues to evolve, one thing is clear – Waymo is positioning itself to be a major player in the years to come.