Yahoo Autos Waymo and FCA Plan a Huge Influx of Self-Driving Minivans
There’s sure to be a good amount of hubbub and headlines over the next few days related to the prospect of Waymo and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) amassing a fleet of self-driving minivans numbering in the tens of thousands.
The two companies today announced an expansion of their partnership, a move that could one day result in the addition of “up to 62,000” Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans to Waymo’s growing garage. Such an autonomous fleet would be by far the largest of any entrant in the industry. But there’s reason autonophiles may want to tone down their excitement.
The key terms in Thursday’s announcement are “up to,” since neither company will say whether there’s a minimum guaranteed number of vehicles in the latest agreement. Nor will either say whether there’s a firm timeline on which delivery or deployment is expected for the influx of new vehicles. “Unfortunately, no more details to share,” a Chrysler spokesperson said Thursday.
Deliveries are expected to begin in late 2018, according to the agreement. Whether FCA delivers 60,000 vehicles over the next three years or whether the automaker delivers 5000 over the next two decades-well, there’s a lot of latitude in how this agreement could play out, and therefore much uncertainty as to its significance in terms of widespread arrival of self-driving vehicles on American roads.
To date, FCA has delivered 600 minivans to Waymo under their existing agreements.
What’s likely more significant about the latest expansion of this ongoing partnership is that Waymo and FCA executives say they’re beginning discussions on how to install self-driving technology into FCA-manufactured vehicles available for purchase by retail customers.
While those discussions are in their early stages and no formal agreement or time frame has been reached, they mark a significant milestone for Waymo, the company spun out from Google’s self-driving-car project in late 2016. So far, Waymo has deployed self-driving vehicles as part of tests of a ride-hailing network, primarily in Phoenix. In March, it unveiled a pilot project involving self-driving trucks in Atlanta.
These developments mark the near completion of a strategy outlined last fall by Waymo chief executive John Krafcik, who described four key areas in which the company would focus its business efforts: ride hailing, trucking and logistics, city transportation, and personally owned cars.
“Waymo’s goal from day one has been to build the world’s most experienced driver and give people access to self-driving technology that will make our roads safer,” Krafcik said. “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.”
Firm production plans for personally owned self-driving vehicles still seem like a mere glint in his eye. And whatever agreement that might be reached would be a nonexclusive one that permits Waymo to negotiate similar deals with other OEMs, the company said. Still, personally owned vehicles are broadly considered the final frontier for self-driving technology, so this represents an acknowledgment that such a move is at least on the horizon.
Thursday’s announcements come one day before FCA chief executive officer Sergio Marchionne is expected to unveil seismic changes throughout the company that may entail reducing the global footprint of Chrysler and Fiat vehicles while focusing more on Jeep and SUV sales, according to Bloomberg.
Marchionne’s sights may be set clearly on the self-driving horizon, but he will not stick around to see the results of these moves. He’s slated to retire next year.
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