Alphabet's Waymo Reportedly To Expand Self-Driving Chrysler Van Fleet

(RTTNews) - Alphabet Inc. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV are doubling down on their self-driving partnership, adding about 100 more Pacifica Hybrid minivans to an autonomous fleet first announced in May, Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the matter.

Last month, the two companies announced the production of the initial 100 minivans, vehicles equipped with the technology developed by Waymo, the new Alphabet company formed from its Google car project. Waymo plans to roughly double the number this year, said the people who asked not to be identified because the terms aren't public.

Bloomberg News reported last month that Waymo plans to use the Chrysler vehicles in a commercial ride-sharing service, which the companies expect to launch later this year.

It's unclear for now if Waymo would operate the ride-hailing service alone or with automaker partners. Alphabet has put pressure on its new Waymo car division to find recurring revenue. About 90 percent of Alphabet's revenue comes from digital advertising, the report said.