Waymo Partners With Allianz For Their European Robotaxi Fleets

A question that has come up surprisingly often in Europe during discussions about autonomous cars is that of liability in the event of collisions involving robotaxis. The question has often been posed as if the issue of liability alone were the real “rocket science,” rather than the engineering feat itself. Andreas Eustacchio and I have written about this several times, making it clear that this is not the case (see here or here) and that this issue has been resolved for centuries.

Now, Waymo has announced that it has partnered with Allianz Partners to establish a foundation dedicated to insurance, claims, and safety research—a foundation necessary for its continent-wide expansion. To ensure a smooth and reliable service, building a solid operational infrastructure is just as crucial as developing advanced technologies for autonomous driving. This also includes creating a comprehensive infrastructure for risk management, insurance, and digital claims processing. The following topics will be addressed:

• Insurance & risk solutions: Tailored coverage and risk management for Waymo’s autonomous fleet, including fleet insurance, liability protection, and new insurance models designed for autonomous mobility.
• Claims ecosystem: Digital claims handling and management.
• Research & safety collaboration: Joint research initiatives with the Allianz Center for Technology, exploring high-priority tropics across crash analysis, safety modeling, and risk evaluation.

In addition, over time, the companies will explore potential new areas of collaboration, including innovative operational solutions for optimizing vehicle recovery that are specifically tailored to autonomous fleets.

Incidentally, similar issues will arise with another “form of mobility,” namely humanoid robots. Read more about this in my latest book:

This article was also published in German.