Google has announced its self-driving car division has been spun out into a separate company called Waymo.
In an event in California today, the ‘new’ company announced the name derives from the search for “a new way forward in mobility.”
The division previously existed under the Google X banner, but will now go it alone.
While this might seem like semantics, Waymo will now be its own independent entity under the Alphabet umbrella and away from Google politics and policy.
CEO Jon Krafcik said he envisions the technology being utilised in a number of ways and said Waymo would be looking for partners in the audio industry to help achieve that vision.
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He said (via TechCrunch): “We can imagine this in ride-sharing, in transportation, trucking, logistics even personal use vehicles and licensing with automakers, public transport and solving the last mile. Self-driving technology is awesome in all these categories.
“We are a self driving technology company. We’ve been really clear that we’re not a car company although there’s sometimes some confusion on that point.
He added the self-driving vehicles have now amassed three million test miles on public roads, a result of some 10,000 trips in Mountain View and Austin, Texas.
The firm is already working with Fiat Chrysler on a partnership that’ll place new generation sensors in the Chrysler Pacifica.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
