Lyft tests self-driving cars in massive new training facility
It's not just Uber and Waymo racing to put self-driving cars on the road. Ride-hailing app Lyft has been building its self-driving car program, and on Thursday, its fleet got a training boost.
Using test cars built at its own autonomous car development center, Lyft is running its cars through the ultimate challenge at a Bay Area test facility.
Lyft will test its self-driving vehicles at GoMentum Station's 5,000-acre training ground in Concord, California — about a 30-mile drive east of San Francisco.
The closed training facility is where the local county transportation agency brings together car makers, tech companies, researchers, academics, and other specialists to develop new transportation ideas — and see if the vehicles can take it.
Acura and Toyota both have put autonomous vehicles through the obstacle course-like challenge at GoMentum's proving grounds. City-like roads and other safety scenarios make it a laboratory for autonomous driving.
Last year, Lyft laid out plans for its Palo Alto, California, self-driving car facility. Those vehicles developed at the Level 5 Engineering Center are now getting put to the test.
Topics Self-Driving Cars lyft
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
