Waymo to Begin Testing in Chicago and Charlotte

The autonomous vehicle company is expanding its robotaxi operations to two new cities.

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Alphabet, announced that it will begin mapping and collecting data in Chicago and Charlotte this week as part of its push to scale its robotaxi operations. The company usually takes several months to manually map and understand local road conditions before gradually introducing autonomous testing and fully driverless operations in new markets. While Charlotte's suburban layout may be an easier use case, Chicago's harsh winters, heavy traffic, and dense urban complexity will pose a greater challenge for Waymo.

Why it matters

Waymo's successful expansion into cities like Chicago would strengthen the company's case that its autonomous driving system is scalable nationwide. It also gives Waymo another opportunity to test its technology in a northern city after a proposed pilot in New York was dropped.

The details

Waymo is currently operating its robotaxis fully autonomously in 10 U.S. cities. The company will begin manual mapping and early data collection in Chicago and Charlotte this week to lay the groundwork for future operations in those markets. Waymo usually takes several months to understand local road conditions, traffic patterns, and edge cases before gradually introducing autonomous testing and eventually fully driverless operations in a new city.

  • Waymo will begin mapping and data collection in Chicago and Charlotte starting today (February 25, 2026).
  • Waymo began offering commercial driverless operations in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando this week, bringing its total city count to 10.

The players

Waymo

An autonomous driving company and a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company.

Alphabet Inc.

The parent company of Google and the owner of Waymo.

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What’s next

Waymo is also testing and planning to launch its robotaxi service in Denver, London, and Washington, D.C., among other cities.

The takeaway

Waymo's expansion into Chicago and Charlotte, as well as its continued growth in other major markets, demonstrates the company's commitment to scaling its autonomous driving technology nationwide and potentially globally.