New electric Robo-Taxi in the making as Waymo and Volvo announce joint venture
Waymo, one of the world’s leading autonomous driving technology development companies, has announced that they are “on the path to building the World’s Most Experienced Driver" with their latest link-up with yet another of the world’s biggest automakers Volvo.
A spokesperson for the company, said: “We partner with some of the world’s largest automakers to realise our mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to get where they’re going.”
Waymo focuses on custom designing its hardware suite, software, and compute. They then collaborate with carmakers, saying that they leverage their expertise in automotive design, engineering, and manufacturing, to help create vehicles that integrate easily with the Waymo Driver, making them well-suited for ride hailing, local delivery, trucking, and personal car ownership.
Waymo is now the exclusive global L4 partner for Volvo Car Group, a global leader in automotive safety, including its strategic affiliates Polestar and Lynk & Co. International.
Through their strategic partnership, they say they will be the first to work together to integrate the Waymo Driver into an all-new mobility-focused electric vehicle platform for ride hailing services.
Adam Frost, Chief Automotive Officer, Waymo: “This key partnership with Volvo Car Group helps pave the path to the deployment of the Waymo Driver globally in years to come, and represents an important milestone in the highly competitive autonomous vehicle industry. Volvo Car Group shares our vision of creating an autonomous future where roads are safer, and transportation is more accessible and greener. We’re thrilled to welcome Volvo Car Group as our latest automotive partner.”
Henrik Green, Chief Technology Officer, Volvo Car Group: “Fully autonomous vehicles have the potential to improve road safety to previously unseen levels and to revolutionize the way people live, work and travel. Our global partnership with Waymo opens up new and exciting business opportunities for Volvo Cars, Polestar, and Lynk & Co.”
In addition to this latest automotive partnership, Waymo continues to benefit from strong partnerships with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), and Renault Nissan Mitsubishi (The Alliance), which they believe will allow them to advance the deployment of the Waymo Driver across a variety of vehicle platforms.
Image credit: Waymo
