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Vay Lance is expanding its remote car driving service, an Uber-like service where your car is driven by someone in a remote location. The company is expanding its car fleet and building an 8,500-square-foot production facility in Las Vegas.
You may have never heard of teledriving, but I got to try it out at CES 2024 last year. With Vay, you can order a car to pick you up. A Vay driver sitting in a building with a bunch of screens in front of him will drive the car remotely to you. To onlookers, it will look like a self-driving car coming to pick you up. But a human fully controls the car, remotely.
Then you can get in the car and drive it where you want to go. When you’re done, you hand it over to the remote driver, who can drive the car to its next destination. If you’re good at racing video games, remote driving might be a good job for you.
This is a very interesting concept for a new type of service, which offers drivers more privacy than a taxi or Uber. It may be more cost-effective as a per-minute rental service than other ride-sharing solutions. And it could be safer than a self-driving car, because a human is still in control of the car.
The company launched its pilot service last year and is now expanding its door-to-door remote driving service in 2025 to 100 vehicles in Las Vegas. Vay has secured a state-of-the-art production facility in Las Vegas to build its fleet of electric vehicles, equipped with cameras and sensors.
This facility, designed to process up to 16 vehicles per week, will serve as Vay’s primary hardware production and deployment center in the United States. Vay also has a dedicated city center for fleet preparation and maintenance. The facility will optimize the build of Vay’s Kia e-Niro fleet, which will serve as the primary platform for hardware deployment.
Vay is actively recruiting remote drivers to support car and truck operations as remote truck driving services will begin soon.
Vay provides service throughout Central Las Vegas, including the Strip, popular hotels and nearby attractions. It has gained popularity as it provides a seamless way to travel in and around the city. Since its launch a year ago, users have made more than 6,000 trips.
“This new facility and expansion of our fleet underscores Vay’s commitment to serving our growing customer base in Las Vegas, ensuring a seamless experience for all who request our vehicles,” said Thomas Von der Ohe, CEO of Vay, in a statement. “This investment represents an important milestone for Vay’s growth and will play a crucial role in the evolution of our offerings. »
Vay’s remote driving services
Through the Vay app, users can request an electric vehicle to be delivered remotely to their home. Once the car arrives, the user takes over and drives it like a regular car. At the end of the trip, the user ends the rental in the app, gets out of the car and a remote driver takes over, eliminating the tedious search for parking. Vay’s per-minute rental service costs half as much as current ride-sharing options, is a more cost-effective alternative to self-driving, and requires no costly membership fees.
Vay aims to make remote driving services universally accessible through its business solutions, which provide affordable and sustainable door-to-door mobility. With a seamless experience from vehicle delivery to return, users enjoy complete control and privacy, traveling at their own pace in a personal and safe environment. Additionally, Vay’s remote driving technology maximizes the efficiency of its all-electric fleet, reducing the number of cars needed in urban areas and contributing to greener, less congested cities.
Vay also recently expanded its offerings to include B2B services, which enable remote driving for passenger cars, trucks, vans and autonomous vehicles, among others.
The future of mobility professions: remote drivers
Remote driving introduces an entirely new and unique profession that combines security and flexibility. Remote drivers operate from an office alongside their colleagues, enjoy regular breaks and avoid spending long periods away from home. Unlike traditional driving roles, they are paid by the hour rather than per trip, providing greater stability. This configuration also creates a safer and more attractive working environment.
The Vay Remote Driving Academy offers a comprehensive training program that prepares remote drivers for professional driving on public roads. Through rigorous training and cutting-edge technology, remote drivers learn the skills necessary to operate with confidence while consistently maintaining a safe and defensive driving style. One of the things that was helpful to me while I was riding: the remote driver said things like “I see the stop sign ahead of me” to reassure the passenger that they were paying attention.
Vay’s remote driving technology
Professionally trained remote drivers sit at a remote driving position with a steering wheel, pedals and other vehicle controls developed in accordance with automotive industry standards. The service operates day and night, with Vay operating in Las Vegas from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Camera sensors reproduce the car’s surroundings and transmit it to the remote cockpit screens. Road traffic sounds, such as emergency vehicles and other augmented warning signals, are transmitted to the remote driver’s headphones via microphones.
Vay develops and operates remote driving technology with a strong focus on safety. This includes a focus on functional safety (ISO 26262) and cybersecurity (ISO 21434). To validate Vay’s high safety standards, TÜV Süd, an internationally renowned independent third-party organization specializing in testing, certification, auditing and consulting services, has thoroughly tested and positively approved Vay’s technology.
