# Waymo in Fairbanks, what's on the record and what isn't > Waymo's cars have been plugging into the chargers at Golden Valley Electric's Fairbanks lot, and a co-op staffer saw it herself. Published 2026-11-13 by Alaska AI. 9 slides. Canonical: https://alaskaaihq.com/archive/2026-11-13/ ## The story Waymo's cars came to Fairbanks. Three answers didn't. Three questions. No answer yet. Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli had not answered Alaska's News Source on how long the testing runs, why Fairbanks, or whether driverless cars follow, as of its November 10th report. On the car itself, the record is thick. Waymo's November 5th post describes its 6th-generation Driver closely, down to how the sensors stay clear. "This season in Alaska, for example, we'll be conducting closed-course evaluations and heavy snowfall data collection." To Alaska's News Source, Waymo described manual data collection, autonomous driving with a specialist at the wheel, and limited structured testing. Seen on the co-op's chargers. Golden Valley Electric's Ashley Bradish says she has seen the cars using its charging stations herself. The welcome, and the doubt. What's on the record, and what isn't. Waymo has a rule for when winter wins. It says that when weather passes what it has validated, it may shrink its service area or pause service entirely. As of November 10th, its spokesperson had not said whether driverless cars will follow in Fairbanks. Which answer should Fairbanks get first? How long. Why here. What comes after. ## What we verified - Waymo published a blog post on November 5th about how the Waymo Driver handles severe winter weather. [Waymo](https://waymo.com/blog/2026/11/winter-weather-preparedness/), primary document, 2026-11-05. - Waymo said that this season in Alaska it will conduct closed-course evaluations and collect data in heavy snowfall. [Waymo](https://waymo.com/blog/2026/11/winter-weather-preparedness/), primary document, 2026-11-05. - Waymo says it has driven tens of thousands of real-world miles in Upstate New York, Michigan's Upper Peninsula and the Sierra Nevada. [Waymo](https://waymo.com/blog/2026/11/winter-weather-preparedness/), primary document, 2026-11-05. - The 6th-generation Waymo Driver uses cameras, radar and lidar. [Waymo](https://waymo.com/blog/2026/11/winter-weather-preparedness/), primary document, 2026-11-05. - Waymo says built-in heaters and micro-wipers keep its sensors clear in icy conditions. [Waymo](https://waymo.com/blog/2026/11/winter-weather-preparedness/), primary document, 2026-11-05. - Waymo says it is equipping its winter vehicles with snow tires and measuring traction changes under each wheel in real time. [Waymo](https://waymo.com/blog/2026/11/winter-weather-preparedness/), primary document, 2026-11-05. - Waymo says that when weather exceeds what it has validated it may reduce its service area or pause service entirely. [Waymo](https://waymo.com/blog/2026/11/winter-weather-preparedness/), primary document, 2026-11-05. - Golden Valley Electric Association's energy emergency page showed Level 0, normal operations, as of its October 24th posting. [Golden Valley Electric Association](https://www.gvea.com/energy-emergency-alert/), primary document, 2026-10-24. - Waymo vehicles were spotted in Fairbanks after a Facebook post appeared to show them charging at electric vehicle ports in the Golden Valley Electric Association parking lot. [Alaska's News Source (KTUU/KTVF)](https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/11/11/waymo-tests-self-driving-cars-fairbanks-climate/), report, 2026-11-10. - GVEA's Ashley Bradish confirmed she had personally seen the Waymo vehicles using the co-op's charging stations. [Alaska's News Source (KTUU/KTVF)](https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/11/11/waymo-tests-self-driving-cars-fairbanks-climate/), report, 2026-11-10. - Waymo told Alaska's News Source that the work includes manual data collection, autonomous driving with a specialist at the wheel, and limited structured testing. [Alaska's News Source (KTUU/KTVF)](https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/11/11/waymo-tests-self-driving-cars-fairbanks-climate/), report, 2026-11-10. - Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli said the testing will help the company refine critical cold-weather capabilities. [Alaska's News Source (KTUU/KTVF)](https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/11/11/waymo-tests-self-driving-cars-fairbanks-climate/), report, 2026-11-10. - As of Alaska's News Source's report, Bonelli had not answered its follow-up questions, including the testing timeline, why Waymo chose Fairbanks and whether it plans driverless cars there. [Alaska's News Source (KTUU/KTVF)](https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/11/11/waymo-tests-self-driving-cars-fairbanks-climate/), report, 2026-11-10. - Fairbanks Mayor Mindy O'Neall said the testing is a great opportunity for Fairbanks to be a testing ground. [Alaska's News Source (KTUU/KTVF)](https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/11/11/waymo-tests-self-driving-cars-fairbanks-climate/), report, 2026-11-10. - Fairbanks resident Katrina Howe told Alaska's News Source that computers are actually quite stupid. [Alaska's News Source (KTUU/KTVF)](https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/11/11/waymo-tests-self-driving-cars-fairbanks-climate/), report, 2026-11-10. - Fairbanks resident Gwen Jackson said she expects the cars will probably just stall out. [Alaska's News Source (KTUU/KTVF)](https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/11/11/waymo-tests-self-driving-cars-fairbanks-climate/), report, 2026-11-10. - Fairbanks resident Charlie Woolwine said he does not think the cars are safe and that they should not be allowed. [Alaska's News Source (KTUU/KTVF)](https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/11/11/waymo-tests-self-driving-cars-fairbanks-climate/), report, 2026-11-10. - Governor Mike Dunleavy said there is no better proving ground for winter driving than Fairbanks. [FOX Weather](https://www.foxweather.com/extreme-weather/self-driving-cars-prepare-alaska-perilous-winter-climate), report, 2026-11-05. - According to FOX Weather, Dunleavy said Waymo will test its Ojai and Hyundai IONIQ vehicles in Fairbanks. [FOX Weather](https://www.foxweather.com/extreme-weather/self-driving-cars-prepare-alaska-perilous-winter-climate), report, 2026-11-05. - FOX Weather reported that Waymo will test its autonomous vehicles in Fairbanks during the winter. [FOX Weather](https://www.foxweather.com/extreme-weather/self-driving-cars-prepare-alaska-perilous-winter-climate), report, 2026-11-05. - Fairbanks had 6 hours and 29 minutes of daylight on November 13th, with sunrise at 9.20 a.m. and sunset at 3.49 p.m. [timeanddate.com](https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/fairbanks), report, 2026-11-13. - The Fairbanks North Star Borough Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of a moratorium on large-scale commercial data centers. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/borough-planning-commission-weighs-in-on-data-center-moratorium/article_13c587a1-d510-49fa-a9f5-8d8c10838d1e.html), report, 2026-11-13. - The commission recommended extending the moratorium to 18 months from the 12 months the borough administration requested. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/borough-planning-commission-weighs-in-on-data-center-moratorium/article_13c587a1-d510-49fa-a9f5-8d8c10838d1e.html), report, 2026-11-13. - Spillman said five megawatts, the moratorium's power threshold, is enough to power at least 3,000 homes. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/borough-planning-commission-weighs-in-on-data-center-moratorium/article_13c587a1-d510-49fa-a9f5-8d8c10838d1e.html), report, 2026-11-13. - The moratorium covers data centers occupying at least 40,000 square feet of gross floor space. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/borough-planning-commission-weighs-in-on-data-center-moratorium/article_13c587a1-d510-49fa-a9f5-8d8c10838d1e.html), report, 2026-11-13. - General Use-1 zoning, where a commercial data center could technically be built, applies to 97 percent of the borough. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/borough-planning-commission-weighs-in-on-data-center-moratorium/article_13c587a1-d510-49fa-a9f5-8d8c10838d1e.html), report, 2026-11-13. - Military land outside the fence line at installations such as Eielson is subject to borough zoning powers. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/borough-planning-commission-weighs-in-on-data-center-moratorium/article_13c587a1-d510-49fa-a9f5-8d8c10838d1e.html), report, 2026-11-13. - The Northern Alaska Environmental Center said the Planning Commission would take up Ordinance 2026-42 on Tuesday, November 10th, at 6 p.m. [Northern Alaska Environmental Center](https://northern.org/news/alaska-communities-push-for-data-center-oversight-upcoming-public-meetings-and-opportunities-to-speak-up/), report, 2026-11-05. - The commission's amendment requires the planning department to report back in 10 months with its findings. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/borough-planning-commission-weighs-in-on-data-center-moratorium/article_13c587a1-d510-49fa-a9f5-8d8c10838d1e.html), report, 2026-11-13. - The ordinance now goes to the Borough Assembly for a public hearing and approval. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner](https://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/borough-planning-commission-weighs-in-on-data-center-moratorium/article_13c587a1-d510-49fa-a9f5-8d8c10838d1e.html), report, 2026-11-13. - The University of Alaska Board of Regents delayed its statement of intent on AI use at its November meeting. [Alaska's News Source (KTUU)](https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/11/10/ua-regents-delay-statement-intent-ai-amid-feedback/), report, 2026-11-09. - The regents pushed the final decision to February, or sooner if UA President Matt Cooper requests it. [Alaska's News Source (KTUU)](https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/11/10/ua-regents-delay-statement-intent-ai-amid-feedback/), report, 2026-11-09. - Jonathon Taylor of the UA system said the board had received a lot of feedback from a variety of stakeholders across the system. [Alaska's News Source (KTUU)](https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/11/10/ua-regents-delay-statement-intent-ai-amid-feedback/), report, 2026-11-09. 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