The Latest Breaking News from Waymo

The total distance driven by self-driving cars in tests on California public roads has doubled year on year as companies actively trial their vehicles.

TEMPE, Arizona — I secure my seatbelt in the back seat, press the START RIDE button, and my Waymo One Chrysler Pacifica enters traffic on Warner Road, the steering wheel spinning right — then left — into the center lane before slowing for a stoplight.

They say seeing is believing. On a brisk and sunny February morning, a ride around San Francisco in a Waymo fully autonomous vehicle and a walk around the company’s depot was indeed eye-opening.

Waymo, the driverless car company operating an autonomous taxi fleet in San Francisco, is suing the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The immediate issue: whether the company, owned by Google parent Alphabet Inc., can hide from the public safety-related information by designating it as a trade secret.