Waymo to buy 62,000 Chrysler vans to expand driverless fleet

May 31 (UPI) -- Google subsidiary Waymo will purchase 62,000 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans to expand its driverless fleet later this year, the two companies said Thursday.

This announcement builds on Chrysler's commitment earlier this year to deliver thousands of vehicles to Waymo's driverless transportation service, a Fiat Chrysler Automobile release said.

The companies also announced Fiat Chrysler is discussing with Waymo about using its self-driving technology through licensing in its vehicles.

"FCA is committed to bringing self-driving technology to our customers in a manner that is safe, efficient and realistic," Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said in the release. "Strategic partnerships, such as the one we have with Waymo, will help to drive innovative technology to the forefront."

FCA shares rose 3.7 percent in trading to $23.02 on Thursday, Automotive News reported.

Fiat Chrysler and Waymo first announced the self-driving technology partnership in May 2016, the release said. The partnership brought engineers from the two companies together to integrate Waymo's self-driving system into the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan. Waymo used 100 Fiat Chrysler minivans in its test fleet in 2016.

Since then, Fiat Chrysler has delivered 600 minivans to Waymo.