Waymo, the autonomous driving division of Alphabet, and Toyota have announced a preliminary partnership to explore how to bring robotaxi technology to personally-owned vehicles. This partnership aims to leverage Waymo’s cutting-edge autonomous technology alongside Toyota’s vehicle expertise to develop next-generation driver assistance systems and autonomous capabilities for personal use. The collaboration will focus on enhancing the experience of individuals by accelerating the development of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicle features.
Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana noted that the partnership could eventually lead to incorporating Toyota’s vehicles into Waymo’s own ride-hailing fleet. Toyota, the world’s largest automaker by sales, has a long history of innovation in the automotive sector, and this strategic tie-up represents a significant step forward in bringing autonomous technology into everyday personal transportation.
This collaboration is not Waymo’s first partnership with automakers. The company has previously worked with brands like Jaguar Land Rover, Daimler, Hyundai, and Geely, with these partnerships often focused on creating modified vehicles for testing or inclusion in Waymo’s fleet. Despite the collaboration with Toyota, Waymo’s plans to deploy Hyundai and Geely vehicles in its Waymo One ride-hailing service remain unchanged.
Currently, Waymo operates its commercial, driverless ride-hailing services in regions like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin, and the company now serves 250,000 paid rides per week, an increase from 200,000 in February. As Waymo expands, the company continues to refine its long-term business model, with Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai emphasizing that there are still options available for personal vehicle ownership in the future.
The shift toward autonomous systems for personally-owned vehicles is not unique to Waymo. General Motors (GM) recently decided to pivot from its Cruise robotaxi business to focus on autonomous technology for personal vehicles. Meanwhile, Tesla, a competitor in the self-driving tech space, has announced plans to launch fully autonomous rides in Austin, despite some skepticism regarding the readiness of its technology for mass-market adoption.
As the race to develop autonomous vehicles intensifies, the partnership between Waymo and Toyota marks an important milestone in the quest for fully autonomous, personal transportation.
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