Waymo takes sensor design in house in quest for cheaper autonomous vehicle

Waymo, the company that grew out of Google's self-driving car initiative, is seeking autonomy in more ways than one. Its latest move is to take in-house the design of the sensor packages on which its fully self-driving vehicle platform relies. Waymo CEO John Krafcik announced the move at the Automobili-D motor show in Detroit on Sunday, while showing off the latest incarnation of the self-driving Pacifica minivans the company has developed with auto maker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). "These Pacifica minivans will be the first vehicles to be equipped with Waymo's all-new fully integrated hardware suite and we've brought our self-driving sensors now in-house. It's all designed and built from the ground up by Waymo, with every part manufactured with just one goal in mind: To safely handle the complex task of full autonomy," Krafcik told the audience.