Volvo and Waymo co-develop autonomous ride-hailing services

Volvo Car Group, including Polestar and Lynk & Co. are partnering with Waymo in the development of fully autonomous vehicles for ride hailing.

The companies will first work together to integrate the Waymo Driver into an all-new mobility-focused electric vehicle platform for ride-hailing services.

The electric vehicles will be built by Volvo’s electric brand Polestar.

Waymo (formerly the Google self-driving car project) is the exclusive Level 4 partner for Volvo Car Group. At Level 4, vehicles are capable of self-driving – within a defined spatial area (geofenced).

“Fully autonomous vehicles have the potential to improve road safety to previously unseen levels and to revolutionize the way people live, work and travel,” Volvo Car Group chief technology officer Henrik Green.

“Our global partnership with Waymo opens up new and exciting business opportunities for Volvo Cars Group,” he says.

“This partnership helps pave the path to the deployment of the Waymo Driver abroad in years to come, and represents an important milestone in the highly competitive autonomous vehicle industry,” Waymo chief automotive officer Adam Frost says.

“Volvo Car Group shares our vision of creating an autonomous future where roads are safer, and transportation is more accessible and greener,” he says.