Self-driving tech firm Waymo introduced Monday that it’s considerably increasing its autonomous car operations within the US with the opening of a brand new manufacturing facility in Mesa, Ariz.
At the moment, Waymo operates over 1,500 autonomous automobiles in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin, Tex., finishing greater than 250,000 paid journeys per week. With the brand new Mesa facility, the corporate plans so as to add 2,000 extra automobiles to its fleet by 2026, and broaden to cities like Atlanta, Miami and Washington, DC.
Learn Extra: Watch Waymo’s Self-Driving Vehicles Navigate a Freeway
This 239,000-square-foot plant, developed in partnership with Magna, will retrofit Jaguar I-PACE electrical SUVs with Waymo’s sixth-generation autonomous driving expertise, referred to as the Waymo Driver. The ability is anticipated to supply 1000’s of automobiles yearly, accelerating Waymo’s mission to supply absolutely autonomous ride-hailing companies in cities all throughout the nation.
The Mesa facility additionally introduces streamlined processes that allow automobiles to be prepared for passenger service shortly after manufacturing. As an illustration, automobiles assigned to the Phoenix fleet can start choosing up passengers inside half-hour of leaving the manufacturing unit.
“The Waymo Driver integration plant in Mesa is the epicenter of our future progress plans,” Ryan McNamara, Waymo vice-president of operations, mentioned within the assertion. “With our companions at Magna, we have opened a producing website that allows the fee effectivity, flexibility, and capability to scale our fleet to new heights.”
