In June earlier this year, Waymo - Google's former self-driving car project - announced a partnership with Renault and Nissan. The alliance was formed with the intention of co-developing autonomous driving technology by pooling the partners' resources together. Initially, the companies started the joint venture by looking into the commercial, legal, and regulatory aspects of driverless mobility services in France and Japan.
It seems that the first step of the partnership went well, at least in France, as Renault announced today that it is working on launching a self-driving service in the Île-de-France Region as a result of the previously signed collaborative agreement with Waymo and Nissan. The French automobile manufacturer further described the current route under consideration by the trio of partners, stating that it is exploring 'the implementation of an autonomous mobility service between Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport and La Défense'.
Adam frost, Chief Automotive Programs and Partnerships Officer at Waymo, commented:
"France is a recognized global mobility leader, and we look forward to working with the Paris Region and our partner Groupe Renault to explore deploying the Waymo Driver on the critical business route stretching from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport to La Défense in Paris."
Additionally, Valérie Pécresse, president of the Île-de-France Region and president of Île-de-France Mobilités - the region's designated transport authority - declared her support of the project. She also said that the state is investing €100 million ( $110.4M US) to develop the infrastructure required for the operation of self-driving vehicles, in the hopes that the autonomous mobility service acts as a catalyst for improving tourism and the overall attractiveness and quality of life in the region.
