Waymo Boosts Robotaxi Production at New Arizona Facility

Waymo has been somewhat reticent regarding the number of Jaguar I-Pace EVs in its autonomous fleet, which includes vehicles utilized for both testing and commercial robotaxi services. On Monday, the Alphabet company finally clarified the commercial side of its fleet.

In a broader announcement on Monday, Waymo disclosed that it currently operates over 1,500 commercial robotaxis. Furthermore, plans are in motion to expand this fleet through a multi-million-dollar partnership with Magna to manufacture more than 2,000 autonomous I-Pace vehicles at a new facility in Arizona.

Waymo has collaborated with Magna for several years, notably at a now-closed plant in Detroit. The new factory, spanning 239,000 square feet, is strategically located in Mesa, a suburb of Phoenix, positioning it close to one of Waymo’s robotaxi markets, along with other service areas such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin.

A Waymo spokesperson mentioned to TechCrunch that the company assessed various locations before ultimately choosing Mesa for its closeness to other markets and favorable weather conditions, which are crucial for the validation processes required prior to deploying the robotaxis for public use.

In a blog post about the new factory, Waymo indicated that it received the final batch of vehicles from Jaguar earlier this year. After this, contract builder Magna and Waymo will team up to integrate the self-driving system into these vehicles. Waymo highlighted a new approach aimed at expediting the transition from production to validation to public operation, noting that the autonomous vehicles can leave the facility and begin service immediately.

“These vehicles can even pick up their first public passengers in less than 30 minutes after departing the factory,” Waymo mentioned in its blog post. Additionally, vehicles earmarked for other cities can be deployed for public service within hours of reaching their local hubs.

The Mesa factory is also set to support multiple vehicle platforms, particularly incorporating the sixth generation of Waymo’s self-driving technology into the Zeekr RT later this year.

The facility will gradually implement an automated assembly line and other efficiencies. The company stated that the plant will have the capability to produce tens of thousands of fully autonomous Waymo vehicles each year when operating at full capacity.