Former Google car project Waymo to build self-driving cars at Detroit factory
Waymo will build self-driving vehicles in Detroit.
The company, once known as Google's self-driving car project and now a leader in the push to develop autonomous vehicles, had previously said it was scouting locations in southeast Michigan but did not name a specific city.
CEO John Krafcik revealed Detroit as the company's choice in a blog post Tuesday titled, "Making Waymos in Motor City." It refers to being "up and running" this year.
"Today, we’re excited to announce that we’ve found the perfect facility in Detroit. We will partner with American Axle & Manufacturing to repurpose an existing facility, bringing a workforce back to an area where jobs in the automotive industry were recently lost," according to the post, which was provided in advance to the Free Press.
A Michigan Economic Development Corp. memo had said the project would involve the creation of at least 100 jobs with a potential for 400 jobs and a capital investment of $13.6 million. Waymo, which is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., Google's parent, had requested an $8-million Michigan Business Development Program grant.
Waymo is to lease and repurpose an existing facility on the American Axle and Manufacturing campus where American Axle has its world headquarters, Detroit Business office and Advanced Technology Development Center. The company notes that it ended production of front axles there in 2012.
The location was most recently being used as sequencing center for a local parts supplier, and American Axle recently moved back into the facility with business operations in the administrative portion of the building, according to the company.
Chris Son, American Axle vice president of marketing and communications, said in a statement that “we are excited to partner with Waymo and be a part of bringing future automotive technology to our Detroit campus."
There had been some speculation that General Motors' Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant, which is scheduled to be idled in 2020, could be in play, although that offered considerably more space than the 200,000 square feet Waymo was seeking. In addition, GM's Cruise unit is in competition with Waymo on self-driving vehicle development.
Waymo has billed its project as the "world's first factory 100%-dedicated to the mass production of L4 autonomous vehicles." The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, citing the Society of Automotive Engineers, lists Level 4 as high automation, one step below full automation.
"The vehicle is capable of performing all driving functions under certain conditions. The driver may have the option to control the vehicle," according to the definition of Level 4.
GM has produced "near Level 4" Chevy Bolts for test purposes at its Orion Assembly Plant.
'Center of the auto industry'
Krafcik cited the Detroit-area's automotive industry strengths as a key reason for focusing on the area.
"We wanted this facility to benefit from a location in southeast Michigan — the heart of the American automotive industry — and its strong talent base. We began looking for a facility that would allow us to quickly get up and running by mid-2019 while offering us the flexibility to continue to grow and expand our operations in Michigan over time and where there was a strong pool of talent across engineering, operations and fleet coordination," Krafcik wrote.
He noted that "we’re thrilled to join Detroit’s vibrant community, helping to play a role in the future of the automotive industry in the city that started it all."
The factory will add to Waymo's presence and connections in southeast Michigan and nearby Ontario. Waymo has about 20 employees in the Novi, Michigan, area and a partnership with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to build Chrysler Pacifica minivans in Windsor for its self-driving fleet.
Waymo is also expanding its automaker partnerships to include Jaguar Land Rover.
Follow Detroit Free Press reporter Eric D. Lawrence on Twitter @_ericdlawrence.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Former Google car project Waymo to build self-driving cars at Detroit factory
