Google spin-off Waymo to open ‘world’s first Level 4 AV’ factory in Michigan

Waymo, the company that began as Google’s driverless car project, has pledged to open a facility in Michigan, US, to produce advanced autonomous vehicles (AVs). In a statement, Waymo insisted: “This will be the world’s first factory 100% dedicated to the mass production of Level 4 AVs.” Level 4 automation means that no human interaction is required, and the vehicle is able to adjust in the case of things going wrong – but there is an option for manual override. This is still some way from Level 5, in
January 28, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
8621 Waymo, the company that began as Google’s driverless car project, has pledged to open a facility in Michigan, US, to produce advanced autonomous vehicles (AVs).


In a statement, Waymo insisted: “This will be the world’s first factory 100% dedicated to the mass production of Level 4 AVs.”

Level 4 automation means that no human interaction is required, and the vehicle is able to adjust in the case of things going wrong – but there is an option for manual override. This is still some way from Level 5, in which the driver is theoretically eliminated from the equation altogether.

Interestingly, Waymo says in its announcement that one of the state’s attractions are “excellent snowy conditions for our cars to test”.

Waymo is based in Mountain View, California, but currently has an operation Novi, Michigan, which employs around 20 people.

The company will use its new site to integrate its self-driving systems into the vehicles in its fleet, which currently include Fiat Chrysler and Jaguar Land Rover.

Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) says the move is expected to generate total private investment of $13.6 million and create 100 jobs - with the potential for up to 400 jobs. MEDC is offering a “performance-based grant” of up to $8 million.

However, timelines are vague, with Waymo saying it first has to choose a site and will then “over the next few years, aim to create hundreds of local jobs in the community”.

Waymo “plans to locate into a ready-to-go, light manufacturing facility space at a yet-to-be-determined location in south-east Michigan”, the MEDC statement suggests.

Networking & Communication Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Mcity offers cloud C/AV solution to ACM
    February 1, 2021
    OS has been integrated at research group's smart mobility test centre in Michigan
    Read More
  • Google maps the future of traffic and travel information?
    March 16, 2012
    Will the relentless growth of Google lead to it becoming the ultimate provider of travel information services? Huw Williams investigates Google’s strategy and David Crawford discovers what two principal rivals are doing to keep pace. In the first weeks of 2012 one company staked two divergent claims on the future of transport. One is the science fiction of only a decade ago, turned into reality: the driverless car. The other seems more prosaic, yet in its own way is just as significant a marker of the futur
    Read More
  • Congestion pricing - no such thing as a free ride
    October 2, 2018
    The widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles is likely to increase congestion, many experts believe. But Wes Guckert of Traffic Group believes that tolling could provide the answer. While it is still hard to wrap your head around the idea of getting into a vehicle without a driver, the industry is now used to hearing, reading, participating in the advancement of autonomous vehicles (AVs). Those in the industry have heard about Uber delivering a shipment of Budweiser, or the convoy of driverless trucks
    Read More
  • VeoRide to launch e-scooter with swappable battery in US
    February 13, 2019
    VeoRide is to launch an electric scooter with a swappable battery in the US – which it says sets the product apart from anything on the market. The company could not resist a dig at commercial rivals, saying that its R&D team designed vehicles “from the ground up for commercial/shared use, rather than sourcing the same Ninebot or Segway scooters that Lime, Bird and others use”. VeoRide claims that its scooter will last four to eight times longer than others – and suggests that it will also improve s
    Read More

Highlighted Content