Get ready to see a lot more self-driving Jaguar I-Pace taxis cruising the streets! Autonomous vehicle powerhouse Waymo, owned by Alphabet, is significantly ramping up its operations with a 239,000 square feet factory in the US dedicated to converting electric vehicles into fully autonomous taxis.
Leading automotive manufacturer Magna will handle the conversion process in Arizona. This move is a clear signal of Waymo’s ambitious plans to extend its reach beyond its current strongholds of Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco. Starting next year, Waymo aims to bring its self-driving taxi service to Atlanta, Miami, and Washington D.C.
Currently, Waymo’s fleet already boasts 1,500 I-Pace vehicles, and this expansion will see an additional 2,000 of these EVs retrofitted with Waymo’s cutting-edge autonomous technology. This “final delivery” of I-Paces comes after Jaguar discontinued the model last year in anticipation of its 2026 rebranding.
The conversion process involves integrating a sophisticated suite of hardware, including roof-mounted lidar, numerous radar sensors, and a staggering 29 cameras. All of this will be powered by Waymo’s advanced sixth-generation “Waymo Driver” computing software.
Interestingly, as the Jaguar I-Pace is no longer in production, the Arizona facility will also begin converting other electric vehicle models, such as the Zeekr, to ensure a sustainable supply of autonomous vehicles for Waymo’s expanding service.
“The new Waymo and Magna manufacturing facility in Mesa is the latest example of Arizona being the new home for technology to innovate and grow,” said Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs. “I’m proud to see autonomous vehicles on our streets every day, helping get people where they need to be safely. The new manufacturing facility will enhance this presence, and the local jobs it’s creating will help Arizona’s tech economy continue to rise on the world stage.”
“The Waymo Driver integration plant in Mesa is the epicenter of our future growth plans,” said Ryan McNamara, Vice President of Operations, Waymo. “With our partners at Magna, we’ve opened a manufacturing site that enables the cost efficiency, flexibility, and capacity to scale our fleet to new heights.”
This facility’s flexible design also enables Waymo to integrate the 6th-generation Waymo Driver on new vehicle platforms. With the need to build multiple platforms simultaneously and at higher volumes, the plant will introduce an automated assembly line and other efficiencies over time. When the facility is operating at full capacity, it will be capable of building tens of thousands of fully autonomous Waymo vehicles per year.
After the Driver is installed, the system needs to be validated and commissioned before carrying riders. This new strategic capability allows vehicles assigned to the Phoenix fleet to drive themselves out of the facility and directly into service. In fact, these vehicles can pick up their first public passengers less than 30 minutes after leaving the factory.
For vehicles intended for other cities, they can be deployed into public service in a matter of hours after being shipped to their local depot.
