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Could Driverless Cars Become Available To The Public In The Near Future? New Waymo Deals Say Yes

By Patricia Grannum
Published on: 09:42 PST, Nov 5, 2017

Waymo, a Google spin-off company and a major player in driverless car technology, has made a deal with AutoNation to repair and maintain its current fleet of test vehicles. AutoNation is the largest auto retailer in the United States. As the New York Times notes, the deal is a good indication that Waymo is nearing the point where members of the public, and not just Google employees, can hail a ride in one of them.

“AutoNation will help assure that Waymo vehicles are always in top condition as we bring fully self-driving cars to the public,” John Krafcik, Waymo’s chief executive, said in an official statement about the deal.

According to the New York Times, there have been previous hints that Waymo was getting nearer to making their fleet commercially available. Last month, at a demonstration of the company’s driverless car technology, Krafcik was asked about the readiness of the vehicles for the everyday public.

“We’re really close,” he said.

In a commercial scenario, like a ride-hailing service, repair and maintenance of Waymo’s driverless fleet becomes especially crucial. Making money from these cars won’t be easy since they’ll have to make enough revenue to offset the high costs of all of the components that ensure these cars drive themselves to their destinations safely. Breakdowns would be especially problematic because there’s no driver. So parts have to be replaced at the first sign of wear and tear.

“These vehicles need to be in service for hundreds of thousands of miles, much more than personal-use vehicles, to make them economically viable,” AutoNation CEO, Michael J. Jackson, said. “To do that, you have to do much more proactive, preventative maintenance than what a normal person would do on a car.”

This isn’t the only Waymo business deal indicating that they are close to making driverless cars available to the public. The company recently established a partnership with Avis to store and maintain their driverless Chrysler Pacifica minivans in Phoenix, Bloomberg reports. Phoenix is the testing site for Waymo’s ride-hailing service that they’ve been operating with volunteer passengers. The deal is not exclusive and Waymo will pay the rental car company for the service.

As Bloomberg notes, a business relationship with Avis could become a huge asset for Waymo in the future as it gives them access to a large network of cars and customers. Avis also owns ZipCar, an on-demand car rental service that has a one-million-member customer list. In the future, Waymo could potentially move to incorporate their driverless technology into Zipcar, creating a service that could prove very lucrative for all parties. Waymo’s CEO even admitted that Zipcar was one of the factors that made the deal “appealing.”

Do you think that Waymo’s driverless cars will be available to the public in the near future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

[Featured Image by Waymo]

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