Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has agreed to supply vehicles specifically designed for Voyage Auto Inc., the startup whose robotaxis have been ferrying seniors around a San Jose retirement community.
Voyage, a Palo Alto-based self-driving tech spinoff from Udacity, has been using modified Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans. Now it will get custom versions that have been specifically developed for autonomous driving. This includes customizations like redundant braking and steering that driverless vehicles need.
“Building a self-driving car requires a deep connection between software and hardware, and both pieces need to be considered in tandem,” Voyage CEO Oliver Cameron wrote in a blog about the deal. “This partnership connects Voyage’s self-driving technology with FCA’s deep expertise in building vehicles to launch truly driverless transportation services.”
The deal is the latest in a series that the automaker has made with AV startups. It also has a deal with Alphabet Inc.’s autonomous vehicle unit Waymo to provide custom Chrysler Pacifica minivans and it is partnering with Palo Alto-based Aurora Innovation Inc. to develop autonomous vehicles.
Voyage last month won a permit to take passengers onto California roads in its autonomous vehicles, joining Aurora Innovation, AutoX Technologies, Cruise Automation, Pony.ai, Zoox and Waymo unit, which are also permitted to offer rides on the state’s roads.
It said at the time that residents in the The Villages senior community in San Jose requested rides beyond its borders. Before the coronavirus crisis forced it to suspend the service, Voyage had started charging for rides in San Jose, but it isn’t allowed to do that on public roads under the state permit. The company has also applied for a transportation charter permit, which is required for limousine, bus and other third-party charter services. Voyage has raised a total of about $51 million in funding from investors who include Franklin Templeton Investments, InMotion Ventures, MS&AD Ventures, Chevron Technology Ventures and Khosla Ventures.
Source: www.bizjournals.com