Waymo and Toyota Partnership: Could a New Autonomous Vehicle Be Coming?

Waymo and Toyota Explore Autonomous Vehicle Collaboration

Waymo and Toyota have entered into discussions regarding a potential partnership. This collaboration could ultimately result in the creation of a new vehicle specifically engineered for ride-hailing services.

Preliminary Agreement Reached

A preliminary agreement has been signed by both companies to investigate the development and implementation of a fully autonomous vehicle platform. Waymo communicated this through a recent blog post, noting the current arrangement is exploratory.

Further details will be disclosed should a definitive agreement be reached, according to a company spokesperson.

Dual Focus of the Potential Partnership

The prospective partnership centers around two primary objectives. First, the companies aim to leverage their combined expertise to build a new platform for a robotaxi service.

Secondly, they will explore integrating Waymo’s autonomous technology into future generations of Toyota vehicles intended for individual consumer purchase.

Ongoing Discussions to Shape Collaboration

The precise nature of the collaboration will be refined through continued dialogue between Waymo and Toyota. The scope is expected to evolve as discussions progress.

Statements from Leadership

Hiroki Nakajima, an executive vice president at Toyota, emphasized the company’s commitment to traffic safety and broader mobility solutions. He stated Toyota shares a common vision with Waymo regarding the advancement of safety through automated driving technology.

Shift Towards Personal Autonomous Vehicles

The announcement follows recent comments from Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. He indicated during an earnings call that Waymo was considering the possibility of personally owned autonomous vehicles.

While Waymo has previously alluded to technology licensing, this marked the first public discussion of the concept by the parent company’s chief executive.

Waymo's Evolving Business Model

As Waymo transitions from research and development to commercial operations, strategic partnerships have become increasingly important. The company currently operates robotaxi services in several cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, and soon Atlanta.

Initially, Waymo managed all aspects of its robotaxi business internally, encompassing the app, vehicle maintenance, and ride-hailing operations.

Outsourcing Fleet Management

This approach has begun to shift in recent months. Waymo has engaged Moove to oversee its fleet of autonomous vehicles in Phoenix.

Furthermore, a partnership with Uber has been established to share responsibility for robotaxi operations in Austin and Atlanta.

"Waymo on Uber" Service Details

Under the “Waymo on Uber” service, Waymo retains responsibility for vehicle testing, roadside assistance, and specific rider support functions.

Uber, through its subsidiary Avomo, manages fleet services such as vehicle cleaning, maintenance, inspections, charging, and depot operations.