Jag signs Waymo deal
Brit bbrand teams up with Google self-driving project
JAGUAR is forging ahead with autonomous technology, keen to become a front runner in the field, after the British brand teamed up with Waymo (formerly the Google selfdriving car project) to create driverless versions of the I-pace all-electric SUV.
Waymo will purchase up to 20,000 examples of the £58,995 SUV and fit them with its production-ready, selfdriving technology. The aim of the partnership is to launch a new driverless ride-hailing service capable of providing one million rides to customers per day.
The Waymo I-paces will initially be used for trials in the US later this year to gather reliability and safety data for both firms before the 20,000 cars are added to the driverless fleet from 2020.
John Krafcik, Waymo CEO, explained: “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 batteryelectric 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 the self-driving I-pace will provide.”
Waymo is currently the only company with a fleet of self-driving cars, a range of Chrysler Pacific MPVS, and later this year the firm will launch the world’s first self-driving ride transportation service.
Users will be able to ‘request’ a car via their smartphone to transport them to their destination. The partnership with Jaguar will start properly in 2020 and will initially last eight years – four years supplying cars and four years offering maintenance and repairs.
Jaguar Land Rover CEO, Dr Ralf Speth, said: “With the Jaguar I-pace we have a world-beating car that has captured the imagination of customers around the world. Our passion for further advancing smart mobility needs expert long-term partners.
“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.”
The I-pace is the first in what will be a family of new electric vehicles. Key to this is the platform Jaguar has developed exclusively for electric vehicles. The I-pace is powered by a 90kwh battery and develops 395bhp from two electric motors.
“The aim of the partnership is to launch a new driverless ride-hailing service capable of providing a million rides a day”