Waymo begins testing self-driving cars in DC [Video]

WASHINGTON — Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Google parent Alphabet, has begun data collection in D.C. as part of a cross-country training program for its self-driving cars.

D.C. residents may have already seen the company’s vehicles – all-electric Jaguar I-Pace sedans outfitted with sensing equipment on the exterior of the vehicle – driving around the city. In an interview with WUSA9, Waymo product manager Nick Rose said the vehicles are primarily being tested for now in corridors like Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom and Penn Quarter, and that there are no plans to operate in Maryland or Virginia. The vehicles are all being driven manually by Waymo employees who have been trained as test drivers.

“Their job is to teach Waymo how to drive in new cities and what to do and not …