The Waymo CEO has given further information on plans to extend its autonomous driving project to Europe, likely in direct collaboration with an OEM.
In an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt, Waymo CEO John Krafcik said: “Everything we have announced so far is just for the United States. We need many more vehicles. I cannot give you an exact figure, but it is a large number.” This month Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA) entered into agreement to provide Waymo with up to 62,000 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans later this year.
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The comments by Krafick follow on from statements he made at Automotive News Europe Congress in Turin earlier this month, when he stressed a ‘very different approach’ would be made to self-driving vehicles in Europe compared to current American projects such as those underway in Arizona. Speaking to Handelsblatt, Krafick admitted the Waymo brand was not as well known in Europe, and the company was looking to ‘cooperate with a European car brand’.
Waymo is a division of Alphabet, the parent company of Google. Of Waymo’s relationship with Google, Krafcik said: “We were founded to operate separately from Google and are a stand-alone company […] I feel that the reputation we may have in the traditional auto industry is that these guys just want to change everything. But that is not our role. We see ourselves in the role of a pioneer.”
Regarding a date to bring autonomous vehicles to the European market he said:
“A generally accessible service, such as in Phoenix, may be some years away. By contrast, it could take less time to launch a pilot project. I do not want to give a precise date. We once again used the opportunity to talk directly to some European car companies in the tests in Italy to understand what the market entry strategies are.”
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By GlobalDataEarlier this month Krafcik said he could see strengthening collaboration with FCA in order to enter the European market, possibly resulting in what he called “a personal-use licensing product”.
