EV manufacturer Polestar, part of the Volvo Group, has signed a partnership agreement with autonomous driving specialist Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet Inc. The US-based company will provide technology to further Polestar’s (and Volvo’s) drive toward Level 4 autonomy in its vehicles, enabling it to harness Waymo’s in-house developed hardware.
Polestar says that the ability to offer L4 autonomy on its vehicles will make them more attractive to potential customers developing new mobility solutions, such as autonomous ride hailing, that want access to premium segment vehicles.
It is not yet clear exactly what facilities Waymo will make available to Polestar, but the cost savings the company has achieved with its hardware (for example, a 90% reduction in the cost of its lidar systems) would certainly be attractive for an automotive manufacturer. Additionally, it has created its own virtual test environment, Carcraft, to assist with development, which is doubtless of interest to Polestar’s engineers. Waymo already has technical partnerships with other automotive groups, including Fiat Chrysler and JLR.
