Waymo ramps up robotaxi production at new Arizona factory

Waymo has played coy for years about exactly how many Jaguar I-Pace EVs are in its autonomous fleet — a figure that covers vehicles used in testing and commercial robotaxi operations. On Monday, the Alphabet company finally provided a peek at the commercial side of the fleet. Waymo said Monday, as part of a larger announcement, that it has more than 1,500 commercial robotaxis in operation. And work is underway to expand it through a multi-million-dollar investment with Magna to build more than 2,000 autonomous I-Pace vehicles at a new factory in Arizona. Waymo has worked with Magna for years, namely at a now closed facility in Detroit. The new 239,000-square-foot factory in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa is strategically located in the one of Waymo’s robotaxi markets and close to its other service areas across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin. A Waymo spokesperson told TechCrunch the company looked at other locations, but ultimately it chose Mesa for its proximity to other markets ... Read full article.