Toyota Motor and Alphabet’s Waymo have announced a collaboration to explore the development of a new autonomous vehicle platform and ways to enhance personally owned vehicles (POVs). In a joint statement, the companies stated their aim to accelerate the development and adoption of driver assistance and automated driving technologies for POVs.
According to a Waymo spokesperson, Toyota will build the platform, which will be deployed in Waymo’s autonomous vehicle fleet. Additionally, the companies will investigate how they can utilize Waymo’s AV technology for Toyota’s POVs. They will also discuss the potential expansion of their cooperation, with Toyota’s autonomous driving technology unit, Woven by Toyota, joining the collaboration.
Waymo has been expanding its presence through partnerships with automakers like Hyundai and Zeekr, as well as ride-hailing firm Uber. Despite this new partnership with Toyota, plans with Hyundai and Zeekr remain in place.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai recently mentioned the possibility of people owning Waymo’s self-driving taxis in the future. This aligns with Waymo’s current efforts in Tokyo, where they have started collecting data through test rides operated by human drivers to map key areas of the city and understand local infrastructure and driving patterns better.
On the other hand, Woven by Toyota is working on developing an automotive software platform called Arene and establishing a testing site named Woven City for mobility-related systems and services in Shizuoka Prefecture, west of Tokyo.
This collaboration between Toyota and Waymo signifies a significant step towards advancing autonomous driving technologies and enhancing the capabilities of personally owned vehicles. It will be interesting to see how this partnership unfolds and the innovative solutions that may arise from it.
