Waymo is teaming up with UPS to test the use of its self-driving vans in transporting packages.

Waymo, the self-driving arm of Google’s parent company Alphabet, will use its autonomous Chrysler Pacifica minivans to bring packages from UPS stores in the Phoenix area to a UPS sorting facility in Tempe, Arizona. (It will not be delivering packages to customers’ doorsteps.) The tests will begin in the coming weeks and last for several months. Waymo will have a driver on board to monitor the vehicle and take control of the van if needed…

Bala Ganesh, who leads the UPS advanced technologies group, told CNN Business that using a Waymo van will be more efficient than using a traditional human-driven UPS truck. The Waymo self-driving vans may sit idle for extended periods of time between trips at the UPS facilities, which is an unproductive use of drivers’ time, he said.
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