Autonomous driving company Wayve has expanded into Germany by launching an on-road testing and development hub in Baden-Württemberg. This move includes deploying a new fleet of test vehicles in the Stuttgart region.
Germany’s diverse driving environments, from high-speed Autobahns to complex urban settings and winter conditions, offer an ideal setting to refine and validate Wayve’s AI-powered driving technology. The new hub will focus on enhancing Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) features, such as lane change assistance, and advancing automated driving capabilities for future production-ready solutions.
Founded in 2017 by Alex Kendall and Amar Shah, Wayve specialises in mapless, end-to-end AI technology designed to allow automated vehicles to operate without geofenced limits. Unlike traditional autonomous vehicle systems that rely on high-definition maps and complex sensors, Wayve’s AV2.0 technology learns from real-world driving data. This vehicle-agnostic AI can be integrated into any car, allowing automakers to scale ADAS and automation features efficiently.
Currently, the company delivers Level 2 autonomy, meaning its system assists drivers but still requires active human supervision. However, Wayve is steadily advancing toward higher levels of automation. The company’s entry into Germany follows its $1.05 billion Series C funding round raised last year and extensive testing programmes in the UK and US. The company began fleet testing in Germany in February 2025 after securing regulatory approvals.
Alex Kendall, Co-Founder and CEO of Wayve, commented: “2025 is a year of global expansion for Wayve, and we are incredibly excited to establish operations in Germany. With its rich automotive heritage and deep engineering expertise, Germany is a perfect place to accelerate the development and deployment of AI-powered driving technology. I look forward to partnering with Germany’s world-leading manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers to bring safe, scalable, and production-ready AI software to vehicles worldwide.”
Dr Patrick Rapp, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg, stated: “The State government very much welcomes the planned settlement of Wayve in Baden-Württemberg. Innovations in the areas of vehicle automation and digitalisation are a key driver of the current structural change in the automotive industry and a basic requirement for maintaining the technological competitiveness of the German automotive industry. Baden-Württemberg laid the foundations early on to specifically promote the future technology of AI. We cover a diverse spectrum from basic research to application-oriented, business-related research. As a leading developer of embodied AI technology, Wayve thus meets a network of strong partners and users in Baden-Württemberg.”
Image from Wayve press kit
