Under the proposed arrangement, Waymo will locate “vehicle integration” operations in the state. A light-manufacturing facility space will be built at a Southeast Michigan location yet to be determined. Officials from the state and Waymo say the factory will be the first of its kind, dedicating its space to the mass production of level 4 autonomous vehicles. Those vehicles are supposed to require no driver attention whatsoever, but they operate only within limited and carefully mapped-out areas.
The project is expected to create 100 jobs, “with potential for up to” 400 jobs, and generate total private investment of $13.6 million, according to a press release from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, a state agency. The grant is said to be performance-based, meaning that to receive the full $8 million, the company must first reach 400 employees.
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