Waymo partners with Volvo Car Group to scale Waymo Driver

Waymo has become the exclusive global L4 partner for Volvo Car Group, including its strategic affiliates Polestar and Lynk & Co. International. The strategic partnership will first see the companies work together to integrate the Waymo Driver into an all-new mobility-focused electric vehicle platform for ride hailing services.

The announcement from Waymo follows a similar pattern, as the company traditionally custom designs its hardware suite, software and compute before collaborating with with carmakers. Automotive companies’ expertise in automotive design, engineering, and manufacturing, help Waymo to create vehicles that integrate easily with Waymo Driver, making them well-suited for ride hailing, local delivery, trucking, and personal car ownership, Waymo explained in a blog post.

Waymo continues to benefit from other partnerships in the automotive space with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), and Renault Nissan Mitsubishi (The Alliance), allowing it to advance the deployment of Waymo Driver across a variety of vehicle platforms.

Commenting on the new partnership, Adam Frost, Chief Automotive Officer, Waymo, said: “This key partnership with Volvo Car Group helps pave the path to the deployment of the Waymo Driver globally in years to come, and represents an important milestone in the highly competitive autonomous vehicle industry. Volvo Car Group shares our vision of creating an autonomous future where roads are safer, and transportation is more accessible and greener. We’re thrilled to welcome Volvo Car Group as our latest automotive partner.”

Meanwhile, Henrik Green, Chief Technology Officer, Volvo Car Group, explained: “Fully autonomous vehicles have the potential to improve road safety to previously unseen levels and to revolutionise the way people live, work and travel. Our global partnership with Waymo opens up new and exciting business opportunities for Volvo Cars, Polestar, and Lynk & Co.”