Jaguar, Waymo partner to develop autonomous I-Pace

Jaguar Land Rover and Waymo have announced a long-term strategic partnership to develop a self-driving electric vehicle based on the Jaguar I-Pace electric SUV.

The two companies will work together on the design and engineering aspects of the autonomous I-Pace. The cars will be equipped with self-driving technologies developed by Waymo (formerly Google self-driving car project). The first test cars are expected to be out on the streets later this year. The companies plan to build up to 20,000 I-Pace self-driving cars during the first 2 years of production.

Waymo currently has a fleet of fully self-driving cars. The company plans to launch its first commercial self-driving transportation service later this year wherein riders will be able to request a vehicle by using a smartphone app. 

Meanwhile, the Jaguar I-Pace was unveiled in its final production form on March 1, 2018. It is Jaguar's first battery-electric SUV and is powered by 2 electric motors and a 90 kWh lithium-ion battery. The electric motors produce 389 BHP combined and a peak torque of 696 Nm. Jaguar claims that the I-Pace can travel 480 km on a single charge.