Alphabet Inc’s self-driving car unit, Waymo, has slashed the cost of a key technology required to bring self-driving cars to the masses and rolled it out on Sunday in an autonomous Chrysler Pacifica minivan.
Waymo has cut costs by 90 percent on lidar sensors, which bounce light off objects to create a 3D map of a car’s surroundings. The breakthrough will let Waymo bring the technology to millions of consumers, Waymo chief executive officer John Krafcik said in a speech at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
“When we started back in 2009, a single top-of-the-range lidar cost upwards of [US]$75,000,” Krafcik said.
Photo: Reuters
He did not say when Waymo would get its self-driving cars in the hands of consumers, but he predicted the technology would show up “in personal transportation, ride hailing, logistics and public transport solutions.”
The executive also reported a big improvement in the performance of Waymo’s system during testing in California last year.
“We’re at an inflection point where we can begin to realize the potential of this technology,” Krafcik said.
“We’ve made tremendous progress in our software and we’re focused on making our hardware reliable and salable. This has been one of the biggest areas of focus on our team for the past 12 months,” he added.
Tesla Motors Inc, BMW, Ford Motor Co and Volvo Cars have all promised to have fully autonomous cars on the road within five years.
“What truly excites us is the potential this technology has to create many new uses, products and services the world has yet to imagine,” Krafcik said. “We’re thinking bigger than a single use case, a particular vehicle, or a single business model.”
Krafick, who has spoken previously about the importance of forming partnerships, did not identify any new alliances with automakers or other companies.
Alphabet and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV are doubling their self-driving partnership, adding about 100 more Pacifica Hybrid minivans to the test fleet, according to people familiar with the decision.
Previous talks between Google and automakers including Ford have broken down over who will control the flow of data from autonomous cars that marketers covet to learn the habits of consumers, people familiar with the discussion have said.
To the car industry, Google’s allure has always been its software, but in Detroit, as the company debuts its more ambitious automotive aims, Krafcik, a former Ford and Hyundai Motors executive, touted Waymo’s hardware chops.
The high cost of specialized equipment remains an impediment to making self-driving tech mainstream. Reductions in sensor prices would help in selling driverless cars.
That is a business where Waymo, which launched as a standalone Alphabet business last month, hopes to compete.
Krafcik noted improvements in its suite of hardware had created a “virtuous cycle” with the company’s complicated software that makes the technology more reliable and cost-effective.
“Having our hardware and software development under one roof is incredibly valuable,” he said.
The Pacifica he showed on Sunday has technology developed exclusively by Waymo over the past seven years.
Waymo plans to use the Fiat Chrysler minivans in a ride-hailing service, which the companies expect to launch this year, people familiar with the plans have said.
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