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

  • Autumn budget: EV charging infrastructure fund and higher tax rates for diesel vehicles
    November 23, 2017
    Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond has announced a £400m ($532m) charging infrastructure fund for electric vehicles (EVs), an extra £100m ($133m) investment in Plug-In-Car Grant, and a £40m ($53m) in charging R&D in the UK’s Autumn Budget 2017. He added that laws need to be clarified so that motorists who charge their EVs at work will not face a benefit-in-kind charge from next year.
    Read More
  • Move_UK develop new validation method to speed up AV deployment
    October 20, 2017
    Move_UK has completed the first phase of its three-year research programme for the real-world testing of autonomous vehicles (AVs) in the borough of Greenwich, London. The project has enabled the company to develop a new validation method to reduce the time taken to test automated driving systems and bring them to market. The project’s data is gathered from sensors installed on a fleet of Land Rover vehicles that have already completed more than 30
    Read More
  • Ford AVs on streets of Washington, DC
    October 24, 2018
    Ford is to be the first company to test autonomous vehicles (AVs) in Washington, DC – with a view to starting a commercial service there in 2021. The car company – which already has AV trials in Detroit, Pittsburgh and Miami - will begin testing in the US capital early next year. An operations centre will be set up in the city and Sherif Marakby, CEO of Ford Autonomous Vehicles, says fleet deployment will be done in a way that aids job creation. The company plans to work with local officials to tes
    Read More
  • Road death toll increasing in poor countries, says WHO report
    February 20, 2019
    The latest figures from the World Health Organisation on road deaths make sobering reading – but they are particularly shocking when you consider how the relative poverty of countries contributes to high fatality rates, says Adam Hill Around 1.35 million people died on the world’s roads in 2016, while road traffic injuries are now the leading cause of death among young people, according to new statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Perhaps the most sobering point from its latest research
    Read More

Highlighted Content