Waymo has confirmed the acquisition of a large autonomous vehicle testing facility in Arizona for $220 million. Maricopa County records show that the asset was previously held by Route 14 Investment Partners LLC, associated with Apple, with the transaction recorded on June 5.
The venue size is significantly larger than the existing test points.
This test site, located near Wittman, Arizona, covers approximately 5,500 acres. Public information indicates that it includes an 115-acre urban road testing area, a 35-acre vehicle dynamics testing area, a 4-mile oval track, and a high-speed roadway specifically built for autonomous vehicle testing.
Waymo told TechCrunch that the facility will be used to simulate various driving scenarios in a controlled environment to continuously test and improve the performance of its autonomous driving system. Uses include passenger testing without safety operators, motion control testing, operational training procedures, and future expansion of testing capabilities.
Apple previously used it for its car project.
Apple purchased this asset for $125 million in 2021, after leasing it for many years. Previously, it served as a vehicle testing facility for Fiat Chrysler, used for full-vehicle and component testing under high-temperature conditions, featuring various road surfaces and a high-speed circular track.
Inside Apple, this site previously supported the car project codenamed Project Titan, used for prototype vehicle testing. The project was terminated in early 2024, after Apple had already invested billions of dollars into it.
In support of fleet expansion and the introduction of new vehicle models
Waymo is currently accelerating the expansion of its robotaxi fleet. The company has recently begun offering its first passenger services with the new Zeekr model and aims to deploy tens of thousands of robotaxis annually in the future, including both Zeekr and Hyundai Ioniq 5 vehicles.
Among these, Zeekr vehicles will first be sent to Waymo’s factory in Arizona, where their autonomous driving systems will be installed. Acquiring a larger enclosed test facility will enable Waymo to conduct more scenario validations, operational training, and system tuning before mass production.
Waymo’s ties with Phoenix and Maricopa County continue to grow. The company began testing autonomous driving technology in Chandler, a suburb of Phoenix, as early as 2017, and subsequently developed the area into its first commercial robotaxi market. Since then, Waymo has expanded its operations to more than ten U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Austin, and Atlanta.