Element Fleet Management has signed a multi-year partnership with Waymo to provide fleet management and operational support for the deployment of autonomous ride-hailing vehicles.
The partnership will begin in San Diego in the United States, with plans to expand into further markets over time. Element Mobility will provide services including vehicle lifecycle management, charging infrastructure and energy management, maintenance coordination and fleet optimisation.
Waymo will continue to operate its autonomous driving technology and manage validation and performance of the Waymo Driver. Its ride-hailing service will be offered through the Waymo app.
For fleet operators, the announcement highlights the wider operational requirements behind autonomous vehicle deployment. Beyond the vehicle technology itself, large-scale autonomous fleets need systems for charging, maintenance, compliance, vehicle readiness and real-time performance monitoring.
David Madrigal, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Element Fleet Management, said the partnership combines autonomous driving capability with fleet operational expertise.
“Autonomous mobility succeeds through operational intelligence, disciplined execution, and the ability to perform reliably across markets,” Mr Madrigal said.
“This partnership combines Waymo’s industry-leading autonomous technology with Element’s global expertise in fleet management and operations. Together, we are enabling Waymo to scale autonomous mobility efficiently, reliably, and at a premium standard across markets.”
Element said it will support high levels of vehicle availability and service reliability through its fleet management, digital orchestration and data-driven optimisation capabilities.
Nicole Gavel, Head of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at Waymo, said operational capability would be critical as autonomous mobility services expand.
“Scaling autonomous mobility requires partners with proven operational discipline and global fleet expertise,” Ms Gavel said.
“Element brings the infrastructure, execution, and scale needed to deploy and operate Waymo’s autonomous fleet reliably.”
The arrangement positions Element as an operational partner rather than a developer of autonomous driving systems. Waymo will retain responsibility for the autonomous technology, while Element focuses on the practical fleet and infrastructure systems required to keep vehicles operating across multiple markets.
As autonomous ride-hailing grows, the model may provide a useful reference for fleet buyers considering how vehicle management requirements change when operations rely on electric vehicles, high utilisation, centralised charging and near-continuous fleet availability.
