New York City regulators have extended Waymo’s autonomous vehicle testing permit through the end of the year, the company said Wednesday.

The permit was initially granted in August to allow Waymo to test its robotaxis in the city until the end of September. The terms of the extended permit are the same: Waymo can deploy up to eight of its Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn with a human safety operator behind the wheel. A spokesperson for Waymo said the permit makes the company’s drivers exempt from New York’s rules mandating they keep one hand on the wheel at all times.

Waymo’s permit extension signals that it is inching towards being the first AV company to launch a robotaxi service on the chaotic and dense streets of NYC. The company currently operates a comm

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