In the near future, with Waymo One’s ride-hailing service, you won’t have to worry about burning fossil fuels. Waymo is phasing out hybrid Chrysler Pacifica vans in the Phoenix East Valley area in favor of Jaguar I-Pace EVs, moving its autonomous ride-hailing fleet fully electric in late April. The company’s fifth generation of Driver AI will be arriving in the region at the same time.
Alphabet-owned brands are understandably keen to promote their environmental benefits. Waymo’s vehicles are much more active than typical privately owned vehicles, so the switch to EVs should have a noticeable impact on emissions. Waymo adds that it uses only renewable energy to power its EVs.
There are also practical benefits, Waymo claims. The move to rely solely on I-Pace will help the company “optimize” operations and technical support as it prepares to add future EVs like his Geely’s custom-built Zeekr. . Consistency should also improve Driver’s reliability as Waymo grows.
Waymo launched One in Phoenix in 2018 and went fully driverless in the region in 2019. The service really started to expand in 2021 when the company used his I-Pace to launch a ride-hailing service in San Francisco. It launched a test service in Los Angeles last month. The switch to all-electric vehicles now provides a familiar experience regardless of where Waymo operates. Passengers in the Phoenix area never feel left out.
