Waymo's specially adapted Jaguar I-Pace
Waymo's specially adapted Jaguar I-Pace
The recently revealed Jaguar I-Pace in standard trim
The Jaguar I-Pace will be used by Waymo - the self-driving car arm of Google - to develop autonomous technology as part of a long-term partnership between the two firms revealed on the eve of the New York motor show.
The deal - described as a “long-term strategic collaboration” - will result in autonomous I-Paces hitting the roads to undergo testing later this year and being available for public use from 2020. Underlining the significance of the deal, Waymo has committed to put “up to 20,000” I-Paces on roads as part of the agreement, which the firms say will give them data from up to one million trips per day to analyse and learn from.
Waymo boss John Krafcik suggested that Jaguar is one of several planned partners. He said "Our model is not to be car company. We are very happy to be in partnerships with companies whose expertise is making cars. Our goal is to make the most experienced driver in the world [referring to the self-driving systems]". He added that Waymo is "looking forward to kicking [the JLR] partnership off first, but I hope it can be the first of many partnerships together".
Autonomous Jaguar I-Pace to hit roads as part of Google deal
The production version of the I-Pace was launched earlier this month at the Geneva motor show and will hit roads this summer. Engineered around a bespoke aluminium architecture developed for electric vehicles, the car is powered by two electric motors producing 395bhp and 513lb ft, delivering 0-60mph in 4.5s. Power comes from a 90kWh lithium-ion battery that is rated at delivering up to 298 miles of range on the latest WLTP cycle. Jaguar says the latest, high-powered chargers can deliver an 80% charge in 40 minutes, with more standard chargers giving 80 miles of range in 30 minutes.
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Waymo began developing self-driving car technology in 2009, when it ran as a project under the wing of parent firm Google. For many years it was widely rumoured that Google was developing its own cars to launch with autonomous technology and electric powertrains, but in 2016 it launched Waymo as part of another company, Alphabet Inc, and confirmed it would focus on hardware and software technology associated with autonomous driving. Its first automotive partner was Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).
Since being set up the firm says it has logged more than five million autonomous test miles on public roads in the US and more than five billion miles driving in computer simulation. It has also developed its own test track in California, where engineers are able to create specific road conditions in controlled circumstances.
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Krafcik said: “While we've been focused at Waymo on building the world's most experienced driver, the team at Jaguar Land Rover has developed an all-new battery-electric platform that looks to set a new standard in safety, design and capability. We're sure Waymo riders will enjoy the safe, premium and delightful experience that the self-driving I-Pace will provide.”
Likewise, Jaguar Land Rover has been heavily involved in developing its own self-driving technology for many years, and this year will spend more than £4 billion on R&D across its business. While it is expected to continue running its own autonomous projects (and those in the UK will remain unchanged), CEO Ralf Speth hinted at the advantages of partnering with Waymo both in terms of cutting development budgets and timelines: “Our passion for further advancing smart mobility needs expert long-term partners,” he said. “In joining forces with Waymo we are pioneering to push the boundaries of technology.”
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Waymo’s testing to date has encountered controversy - notably when it has declared incidents and crashes involving its vehicles, as it is required to do by law - but it says it’s technology has progressed to the point that it is the only company in the world testing self-driving cars in public without ‘fail-safe’ drivers at the wheel in case of issues with its systems. As such, later this year it is planning to launch a self-driving transportation service in Phoenix, Arizona allowing members of the public to use Waymo’s app to request a vehicle.
"We’ve been working on this technology for almost ten years, focusing on getting the tech right, running simulations of scenarios and testing them in the real world," said Krafcik. "So we do have a level of confidence in the technology and the point is it is only going to get better. Self-driving cars get better at the same time, when one learns a lesson they all do - it is a advantage they have over human drivers."
Jaguar and Waymo also highlighted that their deal was struck around the “shared goals” of “making cars safer, freeing up people’s valuable time and improving mobility for everyone.”
However, autonomous driving has come under the spotlight as testing on public roads has ramped up, with the first pedestrian fatality logged last week, when a self-driving Volvo XC90, run as part of rival Uber’s test programme, hit and killed a pedestrian in the United States. While the accident is the subject of an investigation, early reports have pointed to a “catastrophic failure” of the self-driving systems. The behaviour of the car’s occupant, sat behind the wheel as a fail-safe in the event of issues, is also being investigated.
Prior to the announcement of the Jaguar deal, Waymo’s CEO John Krafcik had already addressed that incident, saying: “What happened was a tragedy. It was terrible. We're very confident that our car could have handled that situation,” “We know that for a lot of different reasons. It's what we have designed this system to do in situations just like that. People join Waymo because they want to solve problems like this. To see it happen in a vehicle that ostensibly has technology that should be seeking to solve this problem but didn't work, it's tough.”
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Although the deal with Waymo is seen as an important step in JLR's push to become a leader in autonomy, Speth stressed that JLR won’t just be about driverless systems. He said "We want to offer a spectrum of choice; in traffic, we can all imagine the benefits of autonomy. But it is also clear there will be times when you want a steering wheel to have done fun. We will offer the whole spectrum."
The launch of the Waymo deal is another fillip for Jaguar, which has stolen a march on premium rivals including Audi and Mercedes by being the first established manufacturer to bring an all-electric car to market in the booming SUV sector. Only Tesla, with the Model X, offers a high-profile alternative, while BMW led all-comers at the upper end of the market with the i3.
Furthermore, JLR bosses are said to have long ago committed funds to ensure that it can fight to maintain its electric car leadership. Next to launch is expected to be the so-called Road Rover, a high-riding saloon-like vehicle that will be Land Rover’s first electric vehicle and which is expected to be shown later this year, possibly as part of the brand’s 70th birthday celebrations.
Although it is not expected to carry the Road Rover name in production, it has earned the nickname as a result of the concept of the same name, created in 19xx, and because of its road-going bias, which will lead to it being pitched as a Audi A8, BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S-Class rival. In turn, the next-generation Jaguar XJ is widely tipped to share much of the technology and platform with that car, and as such is reported to be being developed with an electric powertrain.
Last year Jaguar Land Rover made headlines when it pledged that from 2020 all of its vehicles will be electrified, although many of these will be sold as petrol and diesel-engined cars using mild hybrid systems.
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