Waymo wants to build self-driving cars right in the backyard of Detroit’s Big Three. The Google spinoff, announced that it had received permission from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to build a factory in the state. However, Waymo may not build cars from scratch.
While Waymo develops its autonomous-driving systems in-house, it buys vehicles from existing automakers to use as test beds. The company’s current fleet is primarily comprised of Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans, and Waymo is adding the Jaguar I-Pace as well. In its announcement, Waymo indicated that the new factory will primarily focus on adding the necessary hardware and software for autonomous driving to these vehicles.
Read the article at The Drive.
