Waymo Expanding To Austin, Dropping Pacifica To Go EV-Only

Automakers aren’t the only ones going electric as Waymo has announced plans to phase out the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid and go EV-only.

In an update, the autonomous driving firm said the plug-in hybrid minivan will be replaced by the Jaguar I-Pace in Phoenix and the East Valley region late next month. When this occurs, the entire Waymo One ride-hailing fleet will be fully electric.

Waymo said “Electric vehicles like the I-Pace generate less carbon emissions than their gas counterparts, but with the average vehicle in the U.S. parked 95% of the time, their full benefits are often unrealized. We believe that autonomous EVs efficiently driven around the clock can maximize those environmental benefits with a significantly higher vehicle utilization.”

Waymo went on to note their EVs are charged with 100% renewable energy and say they’re looking forward to future electric vehicles such as those made by Zeekr.

More: Zeekr Shows Us More Of The Upcoming Waymo Robotaxi

Waymo Expanding To Austin, Dropping Pacifica To Go EV-Only

In other news, the company is expanding to Austin, Texas.  This is a homecoming of sorts as the original Firefly prototype was demonstrated on residential streets in the city back in 2015.

Waymo noted a lot has changed since then as the Austin metropolitan area has seen its population soar by 30% in the past eight years.  This makes it appealing for the company and they said “our goal is to learn as much as we can from Austin’s busy, growing and diverse neighborhoods.” 

Engineer Nathaniel Fairfield added, “A lot of the experiences you encounter on Austin’s roads are useful for what we’re already doing in San Francisco and Phoenix. All three are fast-changing cities with busy downtowns that host a ton of live events.”

In Austin, Waymo will be deploying the I-Pace and their fifth-generation ‘driver’ technology.  The autonomous vehicles will traverse “across central and East Austin, including downtown, Rainey Street, Clarksville, Bouldin Creek, the Market District, Holly, and the Capitol.”

Waymo Expanding To Austin, Dropping Pacifica To Go EV-Only

The Auto World

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

As Good As New Porsche 918 Spyder With Just 43 Miles Could Fetch $2 Million

Image
This Porsche 918 has been kept in a climate-controlled storage facility ever since it was delivered. The car is one of just four Hong Kong-spec 918s in existence. Driving the hypercar is a 4.6-liter V8 hybrid powertrain with 887 hp. A 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder that has never been registered will be available at a Hong Kong auction running from April 2-5 and is expected to sell for between $1.5 million and $2 million. The 918 Spyder launched as one of the ‘hypercar holy trinity’ alongside the Ferrari LaFerrari and McLaren P1. While there are many low-mileage examples out there, few are thought to have been driven less than this one. Over the past decade, it has been driven less than 70 km (43 miles) and has been owned by a single person in Hong Kong. It has also never been registered for road use. The listing doesn’t specify how the car has racked up 70 km without being registered. Read: This Porsche 918 Is One Of Just 2 With A Gulf Oil Livery Nevertheless, this car i
Read more

VW ID.GAIA Could Be The Perfect Electric Truck, If Only It Existed

Image
A few months ago , we shared a gallery of stunning VW concepts from Sean Keunyoung Oh, a senior design student at the Korea National University of Arts in South Korea. Sean has now come across our radar once again after publishing images of his latest creation, an all-electric pickup truck from VW that could serve as a rival to vehicles like the Ford F-150 Raptor. The concept study is named the ID.GAIA and has been conceived to roll on a skateboard platform and were it ever produced, could borrow its battery pack and electric motors from other EVs produced by VW. From a visual standpoint, Sean’s pickup is quite imposing and has a much more striking and rugged design than the current Amarok. More: Production VW ID. GTI Won’t Have Concept’s Simulated Gearshifts advertisement scroll to continue Sean Keunyoung Oh Key elements of the ID.GAIA’s front fascia includes a gloss black element where the grille would traditionally be located. This piece of black trim connects seaml
Read more

Gearhead Nirvana: We Visit Porsche’s Atlanta Workshop Where Classics Get Reborn

Image
Maintaining any car is a duty that different owners approach in vastly different ways. For some, a few zip ties and a rattle can of spray paint is good enough. Far on the other end of the spectrum are owners like the ones who take their car to the Porsche Classic Center in Atlanta. During our trip there to see the new Macan EV in virtual reality , we had the opportunity to tour the Classic Center as it was deep in the midst of multiple repair and restoration projects.  To the owners of these cars and to the Porsche brand itself, what these mechanics, technicians, upholsterers, and painters are preserving is heritage. The center’s mantra “As good as new. But with even more character” is on display for anyone who visits the site. More: 2024 Porsche Macan EV Arrives From $79k, Turbo Is Faster Than A 911 GT3 Directly south of downtown Atlanta and appropriately located at 300 Porsche Ave, the Porsche Classic Center is now a separate building from the main Experience Center that opene
Read more