Mexican Media Brands
FCA, Google Ready Pacifica Minivans for Autonomous Tests
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV says it has completed production of 100 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans that will join Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo autonomous vehicle test fleet early next year.
#hybrid
Share
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV says it has completed production of 100 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans that will join Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo autonomous vehicle test fleet early next year.
The minivans are being outfitted with Waymo’s fully self-driving technology, including specially built computers, various sensors, telematics and other systems. Engineering modifications to the minivan’s electrical, powertrain, chassis and structural systems were made to optimize the vehicle for the technology.
Waymo (formerly the Google self-driving car project) and FCA co-located part of their engineering teams at a facility in Michigan to accelerate the development process. Testing was conducted at FCA’s proving grounds in Chelsea, Mich., and Yucca, Arizona, as well as Waymo test sites in California. The companies announced the partnership in May.
Waymo plans to launch a ride-sharing service with the Pacifica starting with a semiautonomous version of the minivan by the end of 2017, according to media reports earlier this month. The service likely will require more than the 100 Pacificas FCA originally agreed to supply.
RELATED CONTENT
-
GM Develops a New Electrical Platform
GM engineers create a better electrical architecture that can handle the ever-increasing needs of vehicle systems
-
Increasing Use of Structural Adhesives in Automotive
Can you glue a car together? Frank Billotto of DuPont Transportation & Industrial discusses the major role structural adhesives can play in vehicle assembly.
-
Multiple Choices for Light, High-Performance Chassis
How carbon fiber is utilized is as different as the vehicles on which it is used. From full carbon tubs to partial panels to welded steel tube sandwich structures, the only limitation is imagination.
