Robotaxis are braving the notoriously hectic New York City streets, as Waymo wins coveted approval to test its autonomous vehicles.

The self-driving ride-share company has been granted the first pilot permit by the city of New York. This permits the company to train its camera, LIDAR, and RADAR systems on the busy NYC grid. Other autonomous vehicle companies, including competitor Tesla , have made aggressive pushes into the metropolitan area in a race to own the market in major cities.

The permit allows Waymo to deploy eight vehicles (Jaguar I-Pace SUVs) throughout Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn from now until late September. The vehicles will be occupied by a safety operator who will maintain constant contact with the steering wheel. Waymo is not approved to test with passengers

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