Take a drive into the future in Phoenix
Amother’s eyes widen with fear. Crossing the street in front of us, she’s just noticed that there’s nobody behind the wheel of the approaching car in which I am sitting. She holds her toddler tightly.
I’m in the vehicle’s passenger seat, absentmindedly fiddling with the stereo. Like David Hasselhoff in 1980s TV show Knight Rider, I’ve learned to trust the car to make sensible decisions.
The steering wheel turns as if by invisible hands. Our swanky Jaguar slows and swerves around them and, then, a little later, when families pour out of the Musical Instrument Museum, it comes to a halt and waits for them to cross the road.
This is Phoenix, Arizona, where the future has arrived on four wheels. Order an Uber here and you’ll be picked up by a self-driving electric car. Arriving to meet you at the kerb, completely devoid of occupants, it’s a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie. In December 2022, Phoenix Sky Harbor became the first airport in the world to offer autonomous vehicles as a means of transportation to and from the site. Since July, these cars can take you anywhere within an area of 583sq. km in Metropolitan Phoenix.
The company responsible for these autonomous vehicles is Waymo, not Uber, but the concept is essentially the same: using Waymo’s or – thanks to their recent partnership – Uber’s app, you order a ride from your smartphone. In response, an adapted Jaguar I-Pace SUV, bristling with cameras and spinning LIDAR detectors (laser-based radar), arrives to chauffeur you about.
Waymo was launched in Phoenix for a couple of reasons. First, it’s a modern city of 1.6million people with a gridded system of wide roads, making it an ideal environment for these cars to learn how to navigate.
Second, Phoenix boasts more than 300 annual days of sunshine – the most for a US city. This eliminates the challenges that wet roads and rain pose. I only ever saw the automatic windscreen wipers in use when our car spotted another Waymo, seemingly waving to one another.
This means that Phoenix is poised for a tourism boom. It’s
the USA’s fifth-largest city – and the fastest growing. Already home to an adobe village-style Four Seasons, this year sees the arrival of five more resorts hotels. These include a 20-acre RitzCarlton in the affluent Paradise Valley neighbourhood and an 11-storey Caesars hotel in the luxury shopping district of Scottsdale Fashion Square.
Opening in 2024, the 1,200room VAI Resort will be Arizona’s largest. Overlooking an artificial island eqipped with a DJ booth, its biggest draw will be the long-anticipated Mattel Adventure Park, featuring rides based on Thomas & Friends, and Barbie.
Current attractions within reach of a self-driving taxi include the Phoenix Theatre, where a 17-year-old Steven Spielberg had his first film premiere, and the Heard Museum, which showcases a remarkable collection of Native American artefacts.
For nature lovers, boat rides on the Salt River offer intimate views of wild mustangs drinking from the waters, while Camelback Mountain provides hiking trails with panoramic views of the city and the surrounding Sonoran Desert.
The Musical Instrument Museum, where we encountered a crowd of parents and children, is home to more than 6,800 instruments from around the world — including Keith Moon’s drum kit,
Taylor Swift’s guitar and Prince’s purple piano. It offers a captivating journey through the history of music.
While Waymo currently has a few limitations – you’ll likely wait longer for a ride and you may have to walk a few minutes to your pick-up spot – our journey costs less than €19 for a 48-minute trip. There’s no need to tip the driver, either.
America As You Like It (americaasyoulikeit.com) offers a seven-night holiday to Arizona from €2,456pp, including return flights from Heathrow to Phoenix on British Airways (ba.com), seven days fully inclusive car hire and seven nights room only at the Hotel Valley Ho (hotelvalleyho.com).