Waymo, a leading developer of autonomous driving technology, has partnered with Toyota to create a new autonomous vehicle platform for personally owned vehicles. This collaboration marks a significant shift for Waymo, which has primarily focused on developing autonomous technology for ride-hailing services through its Waymo One robotaxi fleet. The partnership will leverage Toyota’s extensive vehicle development expertise and Waymo’s advanced autonomous driving capabilities.
The new platform is expected to compete with Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems, which are currently integrated into production vehicles like the Model Y SUV. While Tesla has been at the forefront of developing self-driving technology for personal use, its systems are currently classified as Level 2 autonomy. The Waymo-Toyota partnership aims to advance autonomous driving technology beyond this level.
Waymo has been a pioneer in autonomous driving, with its vehicles having traveled tens of millions of miles and demonstrating an 81% reduction in injury-causing crashes compared to human-driven vehicles. The company currently operates its Waymo One service in several cities, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin, completing around 250,000 trips weekly.
The partnership with Toyota is expected to accelerate the development of autonomous driving technology for personal vehicles, potentially leading to the integration of Waymo’s technology into Toyota’s production vehicles later this decade. While the exact timeline and application of the new platform are unclear, the collaboration has the potential to significantly advance the adoption of autonomous driving technology in the automotive industry.
