Waymo: Google sister collects fresh capital

I n the last few months it has become a little quieter about that autonomous driving and the technical developments in the field of robotic cars. This is partly due to the fact that legal requirements are implemented less quickly than expected.

However, the engineers are working flat out to develop sensors, cameras and software. The Google sister company Waymo is still considered one of the technology leaders in the field of autonomous driving. The fleet of converted Chrysler vans is being expanded and supplemented with self-driving Jaguar I-Pace.

Magna is also investing in Waymo

Waymo has now raised further capital as part of a financing round. The parent company Alphabet, the automotive supplier Magna, the trading group AutoNation and the tech investor Andreessen Horowitz are investing 2.25 billion US dollars (almost two billion euros) in the company.

Waymo is leaving its first vehicles Shuttle fleet already operating in Phoenix on the road without a safety driver, these cars will then drive autonomously to level 5. In addition, expansion is to be carried out in other regions, including the US state of Florida. Waymo is preparing the first trials with autonomous trucks in Texas and New Mexico, and the necessary navigation maps are currently being created.

Human driving is retained

Especially among the readers of a specialist publication such as However, there are also critical voices in auto motor und sport. Because if there is one thing that is important to us, it is driving a car independently - so we understand you. But you have to think differently about mobility today. Think more efficiently and service providers like Waymo are inseparable from the equation. Nonetheless, Waymo boss John Krafcik told us: “We will continue to see an incredible number of interesting cars for human drivers in the future, maybe even more than in the past.” So you see, the new players in the industry understand us petrolheads too.