Google launched its Waymo company for driverless technology development on Tuesday, December 13. While the company will not focus necessarily on the development of autonomous vehicles, it will focus on the development of the technology that powers them.

“Waymo stands for a new way forward in mobility,” said Waymo CEO John Krafcik in a company blog post. “We’re a self-driving technology company with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to move around.”

Last year in Austin, Texas, Google’s autonomous prototype took its first drive on public roads when Steve Mahan occupied the vehicle devoid of a driver, steering wheel or pedals. Mahan, a friend of Waymo’s principal engineer Nathaniel Fairfield, is legally blind, and he described himself as being “rider 1,” comparing his journey to that of a terrestrial astronaut, according to TechCrunch.

Thus far, Google’s autonomous vehicles have two million miles of real world driving experience, and one billion miles of simulation driving experience. The vehicles are capable of navigating a variety of complex scenarios, including recognizing and responding to emergency vehicles, as well as knowing how to operate at multi-lane four-way stops.

For Krafcik, he has high hopes for Waymo’s technology and the impact that it can have on society.

“We believe that this technology can begin to reshape some of the ten trillion miles that motor vehicles travel around the world every year, with safer, more efficient and more accessible forms of transport,” Krafcik said.

“Our next step as Waymo will be to let people use our vehicles to do everyday things like run errands, commute to work, or get safely home after a night on the town.”

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