- Subsidiaries of Volvo will also be covered by the Waymo partnership with brands like Polestar and Lynk & Co. International
- Volvo still has a separate agreement to deliver vehicles to Uber for use as self-driving vehicles
According to a report, Waymo has formed a partnership with automative giant Volvo to build electric robotaxis. The company has announced this collaboration concerning Waymo’s self driving software being integrated with an electric vehicle by Volvo has been designed for taxi purposes.
The press release by the company also mentioned that the strategic partnership would integrate the Waymo Driver into all-new mobility-focused electric vehicle platform for ride hailing services.
It has been reported that initial robotaxis from the partnership will be designed to a Level 4 specification – meaning they handle driving without human input within a specific region, but may not be programmed to function during extreme weather or certain road conditions. Level 5 is considered as the highest level of autonomy stating that a human driver would never be required.
Adam Frost, Chief Automotive Officer at Waymo also stated that “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.”
Opportunities
“Volvo Car Group shares our vision of creating an autonomous future where roads are safer, and transportation is more accessible and greener,” Frost also added.
Subsidiaries of Volvo will also be covered by the Waymo partnership, including electric car performance brand Polestar and Lynk & Co. International.
Henrik Green, Volvo CTC also commented that “Fully autonomous vehicles have the potential to improve road safety to previously unseen levels and to revolutionise the way people live, work and travel,”
“Our partnership with Waymo opens up new and exciting business opportunities for Volvo Cars, Polestar and Lynk & Co.”Pairing the disruptive AI and general software capabilities of a company like Waymo – with the established automotive manufacturing expertise of a firm such as Volvo – looks to prove to be the best route forward for getting self-driving vehicles on the road.
Volvo still has a separate agreement to deliver vehicles to Uber for use as self-driving vehicles.
