Waymo in Wine Country? Self-driving cars also expanding to Sacramento, San Diego in 2026

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Self-driving car from Waymo and Jaguar, I-Pace, driving in traffic in San Francisco, California, June 14, 2021. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. - Waymo, a Mountain View-based self-driving car company, says it has clearance from the Department of Motor Vehicles to expand operations in both Northern and Southern California with its eyes set on San Diego next.

What we know:

The autonomous vehicle company on Friday posted on social media that their service is planned for San Diego in mid-2026.

"The amended DMV permit enables Waymo to operate fully autonomously in more of Northern and Southern California, including the entire Bay Area and Sacramento, and a contiguous area spanning from Santa Clarita to San Diego," Waymo said in a statement.

The tech company, owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet, clarified that this permit allows for both their Jaguars and Zeekr RT models to be included in their fleets. Motortrend recently reported the Zeekr RT model is a made by a subsidiary of China's Geely, which also owns Volvo. The Zeekr is more like a van, compared to Waymo's Jaguar seen rolling on the hills of San Francisco.

The DMV has posted the areas of operation Waymo is approved for driverless testing and deployment in the State of California. It includes all nine Bay Area counties. It is not clear when full service would be rolled out in these areas, following the testing period.

Waymo in Wine Country?

In the North Bay, wine country is spread out over 2,500 square miles in Napa and Sonoma counties. Some of these areas can be quite remote.

Uber service can be spotty in some of these areas. Waymo will bring a new level of competition.

"Where there are opportunities are getting people between the different attractions, especially wineries, and getting what we call ‘up valley’ into Glen Ellen, Kenwood and the springs. There's definitely some opportunities there," said Tim Zahner from the Sonoma Valley Visitor Bureau.

One Sonoma County resident welcomes this news.

"I think that competition is always good. I definitely think that there are a lot of remote wineries that people have to travel to and from and if they can do it safely in a Waymo, I'm all for it," said Megan Mahoney.

Sonoma Square's Summer Vine boutique gets a lot of foot traffic. But wineries need visitors to come to them as a destination. Unless they take a tour bus or hire a driver, safety can be compromised.

"I think it will be very productive and accepted by many people because we all, the last thing we want is to be stopped and to get a DUI for having two glasses of wine," said Summer Vine shopkeeper Ima Holcomb.

Waymo automated vehicle

Jeff Bundschu, from Gundlach Bundschu and Abbot's Passage wineries, says those wineries are three and nine miles respectively, to the plaza.

He says he loves to see people having fun and enjoying themselves at the winery. "One of them in there is usually driving and, so maybe they're having a little less fun. So any opportunity for them to all enjoy and not have to leave one of them behind when they're tasting is great," Bundshcu said.

Zahner said it will be interesting to see how Waymo works in a small town and more rural areas.

Are they safe?

The company says they provide over one million rides every month in San Francisco and Los Angeles. They highlight their vehicle's safety and reliability, but last month in San Francisco, the safety of the vehicles came into question when one of their vehicles ran over a beloved bodega cat from the Mission District, killing it.

In the aftermath of that incident, a San Francisco supervisor called for a resolution that would give people more say in how autonomous vehicle technology is used in their communities. She questioned why San Francisco has been allowed to be used as a testing ground for autonomous vehicles.

Waymo's statement said they will need to apply for the corresponding California Public Utilities Commission driverless deployment permit before opening to the public in San Diego, or utilizing our next vehicle platform for commercial operations.

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