Volvo and Waymo struck a deal to work together on a fleet of electric self-driving robotaxis. Waymo will be the exclusive supplier of Level 4 autonomo

Volvo to use Waymo’s self-drive technology to power a fleet of electric robotaxis

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2020-06-26 09:49:10

Volvo and Waymo struck a deal to work together on a fleet of electric self-driving robotaxis. Waymo will be the exclusive supplier of Level 4 autonomous technology to Volvo, including its subrands Polestar and Lynk & Co. Continue reading on The Verge

That means that Volvo will integrate Waymo’s autonomous driving technology, widely considered to be among the best in the world, into a fleet of electric robotaxis that it will deploy at some point in the future. The deal also applies to Volvo’s two subrands, its electric performance company Polestar and its Chinese brand Lynk & Co.

“Fully autonomous vehicles have the potential to improve road safety to previously unseen levels and to revolutionize the way people live, work and travel,” Volvo CTO Henrik Green said in a statement. “Our global partnership with Waymo opens up new and exciting business opportunities for Volvo Cars, Polestar, and Lynk & Co.”

“L4” is a reference to the Society of Automotive Engineers’ (SAE) taxonomy for autonomous vehicles, commonly referred to as the SAE levels, which have become the global standard for defining self-driving. Level 4, or L4, vehicles can operate without a human driver behind the wheel, but only within a specific geographic location and under certain conditions, like good weather. Waymo has some Level 4 vehicles in operation outside of Phoenix, Arizona.