While it’s been only a year that Waymo and Jaguar revealed as partners to reign the world of self-driving smart cars, this time they have brought us another surprise- Waymo is going ahead to use the I-Pace for autonomous driving tests on public roads, as TechCrunch reported.
Since the cars hit the road in July 2018, the Waymo & Jaguar Company used to take help from human drivers to collect road data and related information. However, with time, Waymo has decided to use the I-Pace for autonomous driving tests on public roads.
As per TechCrunch’s report, a fully automated I-Pace smart car was recently seen driving close to Waymo’s headquarters in Mountain View, California. Although a safety driver behind the wheel was also spotted. The news was confirmed as true by Waymo as they agreed to it that they were testing the smart vehicle in autonomous mode.
The I-Pace was the first electric car developed by Jaguar in 2018. It was the Geneva Motor Show when Jaguar first showcased their revolutionary production of electric cars. The specifications of the car are as followed- Waymo’s Jaguar I-Pace self- driving smart cars have two electric motors which are able to produce 394 horsepower. Its motors produce 512 pound-feet of torque. The car has 90-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery that can run the car for around 240 miles at a stretch without further recharge.
Waymo’s reports has also said that the plan of incorporating the automated vehicle into ridesharing services can now see lights as the company have agreed to run the car without human drivers. So far, the ridesharing operation was functional at Phoenix, Arizona with safety drivers behind the steering with Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans.
Waymo CEO John Krafcik, after the announcement, have said that after Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans, the I-Pace automated smart cars are the ‘best vehicle for Waymo’ if the size and decent range are concerned. Following the partnership that took place last year between Jaguar and Waymo, the company head also specified that I-Pace is expected to put in more luxurious experiences as it comes to ridesharing option.
Jaguar’s cars have always enjoyed a specific fan- following; and now the I-Pace vehicles are going through the same craziness of people. As the spokesperson of Waymo has confirmed that in the first lot the company wants to add as many as 20,000 cars to its fleet, CEO Krafcik said he expects the number to be multiplied very soon.
Krafcik also added that it is not a huge number of cars if compared to Pacifica minivans. On May 2018, Waymo signed a deal with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles for as many as 62, vehicles to add in its fleet.
Waymo was a former Google self-driving project that received only three I-Pace cars on last year July. These cars were only being used to collect road data around San Fransico Bay Area, that too with human safety drivers inside the car. A report from the company has confirmed that there are plans to roll the I-Pace vehicles into its self-driving ride-hailing fleet in 2020.
