Autonomous driving company Waymo has announced a partnership with Toyota to develop and supply electric vehicles for its robotaxi operations in international markets, including Japan and the United Kingdom.

Under the agreement announced on Friday, Toyota will manufacture its 2027 bZ4X electric vehicles and integrate Waymo’s self driving technology into them at its Takaoka factory in Japan.

The partnership represents another step in Waymo’s efforts to expand its autonomous transportation services beyond the United States.

The vehicles will initially undergo testing in Japan next year as Waymo prepares for a potential robotaxi service in the country.

The companies also intend to deploy the vehicles in other markets where vehicles operate on the left side of the road, including the United Kingdom.
Waymo has already been testing its autonomous Jaguar I Pace vehicles in London and plans to introduce a commercial robotaxi service once it secures the necessary regulatory approvals.

The partnership follows an earlier agreement signed by Toyota and Waymo approximately 18 months ago to explore the development and deployment of autonomous vehicle technology.

The latest announcement provides a clearer direction for their collaboration, with Toyota serving as a vehicle supplier while Waymo contributes its autonomous driving system.

The arrangement will also allow Waymo to introduce another vehicle model into its growing robotaxi fleet.

Beyond commercial robotaxi operations, both companies are considering opportunities to introduce Waymo’s autonomous driving technology into privately owned Toyota vehicles.

They also plan to explore additional initiatives aimed at improving road safety through information gathered from Waymo’s real world autonomous driving operations.

Toyota believes combining vehicle technology with traffic infrastructure could create safer road environments for motorists, pedestrians and other road users.

Toyota Executive Vice President Hiroki Nakajima said the collaboration would help expand autonomous driving technology and make it available to more customers through Waymo’s ride hailing services.

He also highlighted the potential benefits of integrating vehicles with traffic infrastructure to improve road safety.

Although the immediate focus remains on supplying vehicles for robotaxi operations, the partnership could eventually develop into a broader collaboration involving autonomous mobility and future transportation technologies.

Source: TechCrunch