Waymo says it will add 2,000 more robotaxis in 2026

A Waymo robotaxi being assembled astatine the company’s mill successful Mesa, Arizona. | Image: Waymo

Waymo said it precocious received its past transportation of Jaguar I-Pace SUVs, which volition beryllium retrofitted with sensors and autonomous driving exertion astatine its mill successful Arizona, earlier joining its robotaxi fleet.

In a blog station published today, the Alphabet institution said it presently has 1,500 Jaguars operating crossed its 4 main markets: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin. And it plans connected adding 2,000 much vehicles into 2026, for a full fleet size of 3,500. The institution precocious deed an mean of 250,000 paid rider trips per week.

Waymo typically doesn’t similar to remark connected the size of its fleet, truthful today’s announcement provides a uncommon glimpse into the fig of robotaxis the institution presently has successful operation. Waymo’s plans to standard up comes arsenic the institution eyes Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, DC for motorboat successful 2026.

The Jaguar I-Pace has been the company’s superior conveyance since Waymo retired its fleet of Chrysler Pacifica minivans successful 2023. The institution had erstwhile projected it would person 20,000 I-Paces operating arsenic robotaxis, but appears to person fallen importantly abbreviated of that goal. Waymo is besides presently investigating and validating 2 caller models, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the all-electric Zeekr RT minivan, but has yet to accidental erstwhile they volition articulation the fleet.

Waymo assembles its robotaxis with the assistance of car engineering institution Magna International astatine a 239,000 square-foot mill successful Mesa, Arizona. The company’s last batch of Jaguar I-Paces volition beryllium assembled there, which should transportation Waymo done to adjacent year. And starting successful 2026, Waymo volition statesman enactment connected its sixth procreation “Waymo Driver,” which volition motorboat successful the Zeekr RT. Zeekr is simply a subsidiary of Geely, which is 1 of China’s largest automakers.

The caller robotaxi is being designed successful Sweden (where Geely owns Swedish carmaker Volvo), adapted from Geely’s all-electric five-door Zeekr. Waymo is past importing the vehicles to Arizona, wherever they volition beryllium outfitted with the hardware and bundle indispensable for autonomous driving. The archetypal trial vehicles began arriving successful the US past year.

In bid to accommodate to aggregate conveyance platforms, Waymo says its Mesa mill volition adhd automated assembly lines and “other efficiencies” implicit time. And erstwhile it’s operating astatine afloat capacity, the institution expects it volition beryllium capable to churn retired “tens of thousands” of robotaxis each year. Waymo added caller processes astatine the extremity of the assembly enactment for rider validation and committee to guarantee each conveyance is acceptable to judge riders arsenic soon arsenic it leaves the factory. Each conveyance drives itself into work aft leaving the factory, wherever it is acceptable for rider pickups wrong 30 minutes, according to Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli.

Waymo’s involvement successful publicizing its plans to turn its fleet size comes arsenic Tesla plans to motorboat its ain robotaxi service successful Texas and California aboriginal this year. And it aligns with the Alphabet company’s caller announcement of a concern with Toyota to research the possibilities of selling autonomous vehicles to customers for idiosyncratic ownership.