MESA, AZ — Waymo announced Tuesday that it is expanding in the Valley with a new 85,000 square foot service center in Mesa.
According to Waymo, the new facility will more than double their capacity to service, maintain and grow their fleet of Waymo One cars that are fully self-driving.
"Mesa is thrilled to welcome Waymo to our city where they will be growing and expanding their self-driving service and creating local jobs here in the city," said Mesa Mayor John Giles.
Waymo’s original Chandler facility opened in 2016, the same year the company started driving in the Valley. That facility expanded to 60,000 square feet last year.
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Uber, Waymo's largest competitor in the autonomous vehicle industry, left Arizona after a deadly crash involving one if its vehicles in 2018. The vehicle was in autonomous mode at the time of the crash.
Earlier this month, the Yavapai County Attorney cleared Uber of any responsibility in the deadly Tempe crash.
Yavapai County has returned the case to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for consideration as to whether the driver, who appeared to be looking away at the time of the crash, should face criminal charges.
Waymo says Arizona is an optimal state for its vehicles because of the sunny weather and broad city streets.
"We've been driving in Arizona for more than two years, and we're grateful to the citizens of the state for welcoming our transformative self-driving technology and embracing the promise of safer streets," Waymo said in their release.
