Waymo to get more than 60,000 cars from Fiat Chrysler for robotaxis

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) will add up to 62,000 more cars to Alphabet Inc'sautonomous driving unit Waymo, the companies said onThursday, as part of Waymo's plan to roll out a robotaxi servicein the U.S. later this year.

The announcement comes on the day when Japan's SoftBankGroup Corp said it would invest $2.25 billion inGeneral Motors Co's self-driving unit.

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Large tech companies, established automakers and well-fundedstartups including Uber Technologies Inc and Tesla Incare all stepping up efforts to gain pole position inthe self-driving cars market, which is expected to carry Theautomobiles industry into the next era.

"We're excited to deepen our relationship with FCA that willsupport the launch of our driverless service and explore futureproducts that support Waymo's mission," WaymoCEOJohn Krafcik said in a statement.

Delivery in 2018

FCA, which already has a partnership withWaymo, will add Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans to Waymo'sexisting fleet, the companies said on Thursday.

Delivery of thecars is expected to begin in late 2018.

The companies are also in early discussions about usingWaymo's technology in FCA cars to be sold in retail.

Alphabet's self-driving unit said in March it will also addup to 20,000 Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Plcelectric vehicles to its upcoming autonomous fleet.

Ride service launching in Arizona

Waymo, which says it has self-driven 6 million miles onpublic roads, said on Thursday it was on track to launch theworld's first self-driving transportation service later thisyear, which will allow passengers to use Waymo's app to requesta vehicle.

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The company has plans to roll out a ride service for thepublic in the Phoenix, Arizona area in coming months, with plansto later launch it more widely.

FCA, which has delivered 600 Pacifica Hybrid minivans to Waymo till date, first announced its partnership with thecompany in May 2016.