Waymo Snaps Up Apple’s Abandoned Robotaxi Test Track For $220M

• The Arizona site includes a 115-acre “city course,” a 35-acre vehicle-dynamics area, a 4-mile oval track and a dedicated freeway loop.
• Waymo says the site will help them test and improve their self-driving cars.
• This new land gives them more room to train their cars safely, in addition to its existing proving grounds in California and Ohio.

Alphabet Inc.’s robotaxi unit Waymo has purchased a sprawling 5,500-acre autonomous-vehicle proving ground in Wittmann, Arizona, from a Delaware shell company tied to Apple.

The deal, worth $220 million, was recorded on June 5, in Maricopa County official records and reported by TechCrunch. Waymo also confirmed the purchase to the news platform.

The New Proving Track

The Arizona site includes a 115-acre “city course,” a 35-acre vehicle-dynamics area, a 4-mile oval track, and a dedicated freeway loop—facilities purpose-built for high-speed, all-weather, and scenario-based testing in extreme desert heat. Waymo told TechCrunch the facility will support rider-only validation, motion-control calibration, operator training, and long-term expansion of its self-driving technology.

Apple originally leased the site from Fiat Chrysler (now Stellantis) and purchased it outright in 2021 for $125 million through the same Route 14 entity. The proving ground served as a key private testing hub for Project Titan, Apple’s secretive effort to develop an electric autonomous vehicle. That program was formally canceled in early 2024 after the company had invested billions of dollars.

Waymo says the site will help them test and improve their self-driving cars. The company already runs driverless ride services in Phoenix and other cities. This new land gives them more room to train their cars safely, in addition to its existing proving grounds in California and Ohio.

How Did Retail Traders React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around GOOG stayed within the ‘extremely bullish’ territory at the time of writing, while message volume stayed at ‘high’ levels.

Meanwhile, sentiment around AAPL was ‘neutral.’

While GOOG stock has gained 15% this year, AAPL has added 11%.