cd /news/autonomous-vehicles/weekend-quick-charge-all-about-auton… · home topics autonomous-vehicles article
[ARTICLE · art-98318] src=electrek.co ↗ pub= topic=autonomous-vehicles verified=true sentiment=↑ positive

Weekend Quick Charge: all about autonomy with Waymo and GM

Waymo has won approval from California regulators to expand its robotaxi service across 18 new counties, a move the company says will enable it to surpass one million paid rides by the end of the year. The expansion covers all speeds, zones, and weather conditions for the majority of California's population, and comes as Waymo has nearly 1,000 robotaxis waiting at its Mesa, Arizona conversion facility. Meanwhile, General Motors is testing eyes-off self-driving technology in its largest EV, the Cadillac Escalade IQ.

read3 min views1 publishedAug 15, 2026
Weekend Quick Charge: all about autonomy with Waymo and GM
Image: Electrek (auto-discovered)

On today’s self-steering episode of * Quick Charge*, we take a look at Waymo’s westward expansion into 18 new California counties – a move the company believes will power it to more than one MILLION paid rides by the end of the year.

Waymo has won approval to expand its services in California to encompass all speeds, all zones, and all weather service for the majority of California’s population. When considered alongside the rapid expansion of robotaxi inventory at the company’s Mesa conversion facility, it sure does look like Waymo is scaling in a big, big way.

Waymo wins California approval to expand robotaxis across 18 countiesWaymo has nearly 1,000 robotaxis waiting at its Arizona factoryWaymo adds Google’s Gemini AI assistant and new UI to Ojai robotaxiGM is now testing eyes-off self-driving tech in its biggest EVCadillac will hand-build a custom Escalade IQ for you, but it will cost an extra $55,000

Today’s episode is sponsored by GM Energy Pass, a new feature that simplifies your drive, from daily commutes to epic road trips. By bringing charging options together in one place, we make it easy for you to find charging stations and plug in your EV. Plus, you can access large public charging networks—bringing you peace of mind on every drive. Learn more at GM Energy.

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of * Quick Charge* are now available on

[Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/quick-charge/id1494750564),

[Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/1fIpG4hB4lhGo0Iuygs1zJ?si=7FwqE-lHRnK_DXUCCZa8aw),

[TuneIn](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Technology-Podcasts/Quick-Charge-p1284966/), and our

[RSS feed](https://feedpress.me/quickcharge)for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of * Quick Charge* are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of

Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series.

Got news? Let us know!

Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.

*If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. *

*Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. * Get started here.

*FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.* [More.](https://electrek.co/about/#affiliate)

[subscribing to Electrek on Google News](https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMKqD-Qow6c_gAg?ceid=US:en&oc=3). You’re reading Electrek— experts who break news about

[Tesla](https://electrek.co/guides/tesla/),

[electric vehicles,](https://electrek.co/best-electric-vehicle-prices/)and

[green energy](https://electrek.co/guides/egeb/), day after day. Be sure to check out our

[homepage](https://electrek.co/)for all the latest news, and follow Electrek on

[YouTube channel](https://youtube.com/c/electrekco)for the latest reviews.
── more in #autonomous-vehicles 4 stories · sorted by recency
── more on @waymo 3 stories trending now
sponsored brought to you by zahid.host 4,200+ EU-deployed projects
reading about agents? ship yours in a single git push.

Run your AI side-project on zahid.host

EU-based hosting, git-push deploys, automatic HTTPS, no cold starts. Free tier with a custom domain — perfect for shipping the agent you just read about.

$git push zahid main
Live at https://your-agent.zahid.host
Get free account → Pricing
from €0/mo · no card required
LIVE [news/weekend-quick-charge…] indexed:0 read:3min 2026-08-15 ·