"The announcement to bring the company's robotaxis to the UK follows weeks of speculation fueled by a couple of London-based job postings. Waymo already has ties to the UK. In 2019, the company acquired Latent Logic, a UK startup spun out of Oxford University's computer science department that uses a form of machine learning called imitation learning to make self-driving car simulation more realistic. Waymo launched an engineering hub in Oxford as part of the acquisition."
"In a blog post, Waymo said its all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles - equipped with self-driving technology - will begin driving on London's public roads in the coming weeks. Waymo will start with human safety drivers behind the wheel before it launches driverless testing and eventually inviting the public to hail its robotaxis, a strategy that it has used in other commercial markets such as Phoenix and San Francisco."
"Waymo plans to use Moove, a company that already manages its autonomous vehicles (AVs) in Phoenix, to handle fleet operations. Waymo has increasingly tapped partners to share the load of operating a robotaxi service. In Austin and Atlanta, its partner Uber splits the responsibilities of owning and operating a fleet of driverless vehicles. Uber handles the charging, maintenance, and cleaning of the autonomous vehicles, and manages access to the robotaxis via its app. Meanwhile, Waymo monitors the tech and the autonomous operations,"
Waymo will offer a commercial robotaxi service in London in 2026, expanding internationally after Tokyo. All-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles with self-driving technology will begin driving on London's public roads in the coming weeks, initially with human safety drivers before driverless testing and eventual public hailing. The 2026 public service launch depends on UK government approval. Waymo acquired Latent Logic in 2019 and established an engineering hub in Oxford. Moove will handle fleet operations in London, and Waymo increasingly relies on partners to manage charging, maintenance, cleaning, and rider access while it monitors autonomous technology and operations.
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