To better focus on it's self-driving car project, Google unveiled "Waymo," the tech giant's stand-alone self-driving car outfit focused solely on building up Google's self-driving car project. The team behind "Waymo" have been working on Google's autonomous driving project since 2009.
According to the Waymo website, the company is geared towards developing software and sensor technology for cars in order to improve autonomous drive systems on vehicles, making roads safer for everyone and riding more comfortable. Once a part of Google's secret labs, the project is now a dedicated company under Google's Corporate umbrella.
Here's the logo for Google's brand new self-driving car company, Waymo https://t.co/bMV1cfr905 pic.twitter.com/2kM0dR4Ld3
— Michael Chase (@chasethisnow) December 19, 2016
Since Google's self-driving car project began in 2009, Google's prototype autonomous cars have driven over 2 million miles. Google has tested its self-drive software and sensor system on Toyota Prius vehicles and the Lexus RX450h, as well as on the complicated city streets of Santa Clara Valley and Austin, TX.
Early this year, Google and Fiat Chrysler teamed up to make an autonomous driving car based on Chrysler's Pacifica minivan. According to the Bloomberg, Chrysler plans to manufacture 100 self-driving Pacifica prototypes to join the Waymo fleet of autonomous driving cars. Engineering teams from both Fiat Chrysler and Google will work together on the project at a facility in southeastern Michigan.
Currently, Google's fleet of autonomous driving cars consists of Lexus RX crossovers and Google's own prototypes. But Waymo has begun releasing photos of the new autonomous driving minivan equipped with the latest self-driving technology and major system updates made by Waymo. Waymo hopes to introduce the new vehicles into public roads in 2017.
Earlier, a report from The Information and Blooomberg said that Google is dropping plans on making it's own line of self-driving cars and instead will focus on teaming up with automakers with the possibility of opening up an autonomous ride-sharing service by next year. The report has not been confirmed by Google or Waymo.
