Waymo faucets Avis to handle robotaxi fleet in Dallas

Waymo mentioned it plans to launch a robotaxi service subsequent yr in Dallas, the newest metropolis to be added to the Alphabet-owned firm’s rising business footprint that already consists of Los Angeles and San Francisco.

This time round, Waymo is partnering with Avis Funds Group to handle its fleet of all-electric autonomous Jaguar I-Tempo automobiles. Avis will deal with normal depot operations, together with charging and sustaining the automobiles. Customers will be capable of hail a robotaxi by the Waymo app.

Waymo has partnered with different corporations earlier than, together with Uber in Austin and Atlanta and Moove in Phoenix. Avis is the primary rental automobile firm to assist Waymo handle its fleet. And it’s a partnership that may doubtless lengthen to different cities sooner or later.

Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli mentioned Avis will play a big in function serving to the corporate scale its know-how to new markets quicker and extra cost-effectively. He added that Waymo and Avis Funds Group intend to broaden to extra cities collectively over time.

Shut followers of Waymo might not be shocked by the Dallas launch announcement. Earlier this yr, Waymo took one in all its “highway journeys” to Dallas, the place the corporate used its sensor-laden automobiles to map town and conduct preliminary testing. Since then, Waymo has began testing its autonomous automobiles on public roads with a human security operator behind the wheel. Because it has in each different metropolis it has launched in, Waymo will progress to totally autonomous testing as soon as its tech has been additional validated on Dallas streets.

Bonelli wouldn’t disclose exact launch dates or what number of automobiles could be within the preliminary robotaxi fleet. He did say Waymo will scale the fleet with Avis to tons of of automobiles over time.

Avis Funds Group CEO Brian Choi mentioned the partnership marks a “pivotal milestone in its evolution, from a rental automobile firm to a number one supplier of fleet administration, infrastructure and operations to the broader mobility ecosystem.”

As we speak, Waymo operates commercially in 5 cities: Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Space, which extends into Silicon Valley. The corporate plans to launch its business robotaxi service subsequent yr in Washington, D.C., and Miami.