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11/02/2024 10:33:22 am

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100 Modified Chrysler Pacifica Minivans Ready to Join Waymo Fleet

Chrysler Pacifica

(Photo : YouTube Screenshot) The new Chrysler Pacifica vans are plug-in hybrid, equipped with Waymo's self-driving software and hardware. This recent development is part of the partnership deal that Fiat Chrysler and Waymo signed earlier this year.

Chrysler recently announced that the company has finally completed the construction of 100 Pacifica minivans that will join the Waymo fleet in 2017. Waymo is a former Google project that aims to develop and operate autonomous cars.

The new Chrysler Pacifica vans are plug-in hybrid vehicles. All the 100 minivans are equipped with Waymo's self-driving software and hardware. This recent development is part of the partnership deal that Fiat Chrysler and Waymo signed earlier this year.

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Waymo CEO John Krafcik expressed his company's intention to make "better drivers" instead of "making better cars." This is the reason why Waymo opened up its partnership with Chrysler instead of other options like Ford and GM.

In a statement acquired by The Verge, Krafcik said, "With this new minivan on the road in our test markets, we'll learn how people of all ages, shapes, and group sizes experience our fully self-driving technology."

Waymo have been testing Chrysler Pacifica minivans in the past. However, these new models are much more equipped when it comes to hardware and software autonomous driving mechanisms.

Waymo claimed that the company had had two million miles of autonomous testing experience. However, the company uses a fleet of Lexus RX SUVs on these tests with Google's self-driving technology integrated on them.

Chrysler and Waymo engineers worked together to modify the electrical, chassis, powertrain, and structural system of the new Pacifica minivans. According to Ars Technica, the two companies have testing grounds in Chelsea Proving Grounds located in Michigan and Arizona Proving Grounds in Yucca, Arizona.

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