Toyota and Waymo have announced a partnership to develop autonomous driving technology for personally owned vehicles. This collaboration combines Toyota’s vehicle development expertise with Waymo’s advanced autonomous driving technology.
The partnership represents a significant shift for Waymo, which has primarily focused on autonomous technology for ride-hailing services through its Waymo One platform. Waymo has been operating its robotaxi fleet in several cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin, with around 250,000 trips per week.
Waymo claims its vehicles have been involved in 81% fewer injury-causing crashes compared to human-driven vehicles over tens of millions of miles traveled. The company will continue to develop its ride-hailing service while now also focusing on integrating its technology into personally owned vehicles.
This partnership is seen as a strategic move to compete with Tesla, which has been at the forefront of developing self-driving technology for personal vehicles. Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems are currently integrated into production vehicles like the Model Y SUV, although they are not yet at full Level 5 autonomy.
Key Details of the Partnership
- Toyota and Waymo will develop a new autonomous vehicle platform
- The focus will be on personally owned vehicles rather than ride-hailing services
- Waymo will continue to develop its Waymo One robotaxi fleet
- The partnership combines Toyota’s manufacturing expertise with Waymo’s autonomous technology
The timeline for the development of this autonomous vehicle platform is not yet clear, but it is expected to potentially lead to the integration of Waymo’s technology into Toyota’s production vehicles later this decade.
The image shows a Waymo autonomous vehicle, which is based on the Toyota Highlander SUV. This vehicle is part of Waymo’s testing fleet and represents the type of technology that could be integrated into personally owned vehicles through this partnership.
