While Google’s self-driving car company Waymo will eventually outfit its autonomous robotaxi fleet with the ZEEKR EV thanks to its partnership with the Chinese brand Geely, for now, it’s switching to the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace EV.
In a blog post today, Waymo confirmed that its older 4th generation self-driving taxi that utilizes Chrysler hybrid vehicles would continue to be phased out for all-electric models.
For what it’s worth, Waymo is already using electric vehicles in several regions. We’ve seen fully autonomous all-electric Waymo cars in San Fransisco and elsewhere. In late April, the company will deploy its 5th gen driver system and the Jaguar I-Pace EV in more locations, including the Phoenix East Valley in Arizona.
With this change, the entire Waymo One fleet will be fully electric, and Chrysler’s Pacifica hybrid will be retired. This will help streamline its technical and operational support. The goal is eventually to run Waymo’s self-driving robotaxis 24/7, so having a zero-emission electric vehicle makes more sense.
In closing, Waymo confirmed it had joined the White House’s EV Acceleration Challenge and briefly mentioned that it’s still working hard to deliver future vehicles like the ZEEKR mobility platform.
via Electrek
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