Waymo

Waymo

Waymo

Waymo

Waymo

On Tuesday morning, Waymo revealed the newest partner for its planned autonomous taxi service: Jaguar. The two companies are teaming up to build a fleet of self-driving I-Paces, Jaguar's new battery electric vehicle (BEV), which goes on sale later this year. The vehicles will start testing this year and enter Waymo's fleet by 2020. This is a pretty significant order—Waymo CEO John Krafcik said that up to 20,000 self-driving I-Paces will be built in the first two years.

It's also significant that the integration of Waymo's sensors and self-driving technology will be built into these I-Paces at the factory in Graz, Austria. Waymo's current Pacifica Hybrid minivans have been delivered by Chrysler and converted after the fact by Waymo, but as it and Uber (which goes through a similar process with its Volvo XC90s) have been discovering, that's not a terribly efficient way of doing things.

"While we've been focused at Waymo on building the world's most experienced driver, the team at Jaguar Land Rover has developed an all-new battery-electric platform that looks to set a new standard in safety, design, and capability," Krafcik said in a statement. "We're sure Waymo riders will enjoy the safe, premium, and delightful experience that the self-driving I-PACE will provide."

Waymo riders will have options

During the press conference, Krafcik explained that the choice of a second vehicle platform (in addition to those aforementioned minivans) was down to giving consumers a choice. For those needing lots of space, there will be the Pacifica, with the Jaguar adding a more stylish and more compact alternative. It also means Waymo will have a fully electric option—those Pacificas are plug-in hybrid EVs—and the self-driving company won't be tied to a single automotive OEM.

It's also a significant get for Jaguar Land Rover. In recent years under the ownership of Tata, the company has done much to regain its reputation as a forward-thinking car maker, and it will be the first luxury brand to get a BEV into production to compete with Tesla. Although it has its own autonomous driving program, there's no question that Waymo is far ahead of the rest of the industry in this regard.

"With the Jaguar I-Pace, we have a world-beating car that’s captured the imagination of customers around the world," said Prof. Dr. Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover. "Our passion for further advancing smart mobility needs expert long-term partners. In joining forces with Waymo, we are pioneering to push the boundaries of technology. Together we will deliver the self-driving Waymo Jaguar I-Pace with the grace, space and eco-pace that customers expect."

Waymo plans to launch a commercial ride hailing service in Phoenix in 2018, but with so many autonomous I-Paces on order, we are positive other cities will be serviced by these electric Jags in 2020.

Listing image by Waymo