Toyota ‘Collaboration’ With Waymo For Autonomous Cars

Alphabet’s Waymo self-driving division has reached a preliminary agreement with a Japanese car manufacturing giant.

Waymo and Toyota Motor Corporation announced they had “reached a preliminary agreement to explore a collaboration focused on accelerating the development and deployment of autonomous driving technologies.”

The two parties essentially intend to “combine their respective strengths to develop a new autonomous vehicle platform.”

But they also intend to explore the integration of self-driving tech in personally owned vehicles (POVs).

Waymo, Toyota

Waymo currently uses the all-electric Jaguar I-PACE that is equipped with Waymo’s self-driving technology to offer fully autonomous ride-hailing services in selected cities including San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin.

Amid growing demand, Waymo is also in the process of rolling its service to other US cities, and it has partnered with ride-hailing giant Uber in a number of locations.

But with Jaguar no longer manufacturing the I-PACE (or indeed any other cars), it is clear that Waymo requires an alternative vehicle platform going forward.

Toyota has been investing heavily in new technologies, and has even constructed a city near Mount Fuji called Woven City, in order to test robotics,AI and autonomous transportation.

Toyota’s autonomous driving technology unit is called “Woven by Toyota”.

Both firms confirmed that ‘Woven by Toyota’ will “join the potential collaboration as Toyota’s strategic enabler, contributing its strengths in advanced software and mobility innovation. This potential partnership is built on a shared vision of improving road safety and delivering increased mobility for all.”

Personal vehicles

Toyota and Waymo said they aim to combine their respective strengths to develop a new autonomous vehicle platform.

In parallel, the companies will explore how to leverage Waymo’s autonomous technology and Toyota’s vehicle expertise to enhance next-generation personally owned vehicles (POVs). The scope of the collaboration will continue to evolve through ongoing discussions.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

“Toyota is committed to realizing a society with zero traffic accidents and becoming a mobility company that delivers mobility for all,” said Hiroki Nakajima, Member of the Board and executive VP of Toyota Motor Corporation.

“We share a strong sense of purpose and a common vision with Waymo in advancing safety through automated driving technology, and we are confident this collaboration can help bring our solutions to more people around the world, moving us one step closer to a zero-accident society,” Nakajima added. “Our companies are taking an important step toward a future with greater safety and peace of mind for all.”

“Waymo’s mission is to be the world’s most trusted driver,” added Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO at Waymo. “This requires global partners like Toyota that share our commitment to improving road safety and expanding accessible transportation.”

“We look forward to exploring this strategic partnership, incorporating their vehicles into our ride-hailing fleet and bringing the magic of Waymo’s autonomous driving technology to Toyota customers,” said Mawakana.

Long development

Google had begun developing self-driving technology back in 2009 (incidentally using the early Toyota Prius), and after almost two years of road testing with seven vehicles, officially revealed the project to the world in October 2010.

In 2016 Alphabet spun out the self-driving operation and created Waymo, signalling that the company was ready to forge a commercial roadmap with its autonomous car technology.

Waymo first launched its ride-hailing service in 2017 in Phoenix, and in 2020 introduced fully autonomous public rides, serving hundreds of rides weekly.