Jaguar Land Rover has announced a long-term strategic partnership with Waymo to develop the world’s first premium self-driving electric vehicle for driverless transportation service, ahead of the New York Motor Show.
The aim for both companies is to design and engineer
self-driving Jaguar I-PACE vehicles that are safer, more time efficient and
improves mobility for everyone, with Waymo I-PACEs expected to start testing
production-ready self-driving technology later this year.
The on-road testing and capture of real-world data will
allow Waymo and Jaguar Land Rover engineers to refine the technology and its
capabilities before rolling it out, while in the first two years of production
up to 20,000 I-PACEs will be built and available for Waymo’s driverless
service, with the potential to serve one million trips per day.
Professor Dr Ralf Speth, said the Jaguar I-PACE has
captured the imagination of customers around the world, and to further advance
our passion for smart mobility required expert long-term partners, adding:
“In joining forces with Waymo we are pioneering to push the
boundaries of technology. Together we will deliver the self-driving Waymo
Jaguar I-PACE with the grace, space and eco-pace that customers expect.”
To date, Waymo is the only company with a fleet of fully
self-driving cars on the public road, with the company behind Google’s
self-driving car project set to launch the world’s first self-driving
transportation service, allowing members of the public to request a vehicle
through the firm’s app.
Waymo Chief Executive Officer John Krafcik, said: “While
we’ve been focused at Waymo on building the world’s most experienced driver,
the team at Jaguar Land Rover has developed an all-new battery-electric
platform that looks to set a new standard in safety, design and capability.
We’re sure Waymo riders will enjoy the safe, premium and delightful experience
that self-driving I-PACE will provide.”
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