Fiat Chrysler supplies more than 60,000 vehicles to Waymo’s robotaxi fleet

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Waymo have announced the expansion of their partnership with an agreement to add up to 62,000 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans to Waymo’s self-driving fleet.

This venture builds upon a previous commitment, announced in January 2018, to deliver thousands of vehicles to Waymo’s driverless ride-hailing service. Vehicle delivery is expected to begin in late 2018.

The two companies have also announced the beginning of discussions regarding the use of Waymo self-driving technology, potentially in an FCA manufactured vehicle available to retail customers.

“FCA is committed to bringing self-driving technology to our customers in a manner that is safe, efficient and realistic,” said Sergio Marchionne, CEO, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. “Strategic partnerships, such as the one we have with Waymo, will help to drive innovative technology to the forefront.”

Currently, Waymo is the only company with a fleet of fully self-driving cars on public roads with no one in the driver seat. Later in 2018, Waymo plans to launch the world’s first self-driving transportation service, allowing the public to request a vehicle through Waymo’s app.

“Waymo’s goal from the beginning has been to build the world’s most experienced driver and give people access to self-driving technology that will make our roads safer,” said John Krafcik, CEO of Waymo. “We’re excited to deepen our relationship with FCA that will support the launch of our driverless service and explore future products that support Waymo’s mission.”

The self-driving Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans are equipped with Waymo’s self-driving system, including a powerful hardware suite and software refined over 6 million miles of on-road testing. To date, FCA has delivered 600 Pacifica Hybrid minivans to Waymo.