Harper Jacobs
Autonomous vehicle firm by Alphabet, Waymo, declared that it might resume experimenting on its trucks on Phoenix streets. The firm had pulled its Class 8 trucks off the streets earlier in 2017, after some brief trials in the state. Trials of the self-driving vehicles will start this week in Phoenix, a spokesperson for Waymo claimed to the media in an interview over email. Each truck will be handled by two “skilled” drivers, with the ultimate goal being to shift towards a fully driverless vehicle.
Self-driving trucks are only a small fraction of broader goals of Waymo for its autonomous cars. The firm claimed it is targeting a test a series of applications for its self-driving tech, comprising trucking logistics, ride-hailing, licensing, and public transportation. Waymo previously this month declared it was joining hands with Lyft, providing riders in the Phoenix region the alternative to hail a self-driving vehicle.
On a related note, Waymo earlier claimed that it will build its autonomous cars in Detroit. Company CEO, John Krafcik, stated to the journalists that the company will repurpose a present site with the aim of being functional in Motor City by mid-this year. Earlier in January, the firm claimed that it had chosen southeast Michigan as the site of its new factory for the mass making of the first of its types L4 autonomous vehicles in the globe.
The firm will make anywhere from 100–400 jobs consequently due to the venture, as per media reports. Waymo will also get Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s incentives.
“We will join hands with American Axle & Manufacturing to repurpose a current plant, bringing a labor force back to a region where jobs in the automotive sector were lately lost,” Krafcik claimed. He also claimed that the site might let Waymo to take benefit of Michigan’s solid talent pool in operations, engineering, and fleet coordination.
Source: marketglobalnews.us
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