Waymo Orders Way Mo' Chrysler Pacificas for Self-Driving Ride Service
CARS.COM — Waymo and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles have announced a deal for supply of “thousands” of Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans to support Google offshoot Waymo’s launch of a driverless ride service.
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Waymo, formerly the Google self-driving-car project, already has 600 self-driving Pacifica Hybrids in its development fleet in a partnership with FCA that began in 2016. Waymo plans to begin offering its autonomous ride-hailing service to the public this year in the Phoenix area.
Delivery of the additional minivans will begin later this year and will support expansion of the Waymo service to additional cities. The exact number and timetable were not specified. Waymo is testing vehicles in 25 cities, including Phoenix, Atlanta, San Francisco, Detroit and Kirkland, Washington. The production Pacifica Hybrids are modified by teams of Waymo and FCA engineers with equipment for autonomous operation.
“With the world’s first fleet of fully self-driving vehicles on the road, we’ve moved from research and development, to operations and deployment,” said Waymo CEO John Krafcik. “The Pacifica Hybrid minivans offer a versatile interior and a comfortable ride experience, and these additional vehicles will help us scale.”
Waymo began testing its Pacifica Hybrids on public roads without a safety driver at the wheel in November, which the companies said made the minivans with Waymo’s self-driving system the first vehicles to attain SAE International Level 4 autonomy, operating without drivers, though they still have a steering wheel and pedals, within designated areas. They said minivan’s electrical, powertrain, chassis and structural systems of the minivan make it an ideal mass-production platform for Waymo’s self-driving system.
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