Chrysler has completed the production of 100 Pacifica Hybrid minivans built specifically for self-driving use by Waymo. The news is the first of note to come out of Waymo since it was spun-out from being Google's autonomous car project, with the vehicles to be used for self-driving testing.
Chrysler has made modifications to the electrical, powertrain, chassis and structural systems of the vehicles to accommodate Waymo's own self-driving technology, which is currently being fitted. This includes a central computer for operating the systems, sensors for mapping and monitoring surroundings and telematics systems.
The collaboration with Chrysler was announced in May last year and was the first such partnership with a carmaker for the Alphabet subsidiary. It saw engineers from the two companies working jointly out of a facility in Michigan with the aim of expediting the development process and testing the vehicles at sites in Michigan, Arizona and California.
The Pacifica Hybrid minivans will be added to Waymo's self-driving test fleet early next year.
Sources: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Waymo
