Volkswagen of America and Uber unveiled an ambitious plan on Thursday to launch an service of Commercial Robotaxi – using an Autonomous Electric ID. Buzz Vehicles – In several American cities in the next decade.
Companies expect to launch a sales department in Los Angeles, the first city in the list, by the end of 2026. VW and Uber have not provided details on potential future markets.
Initially, the service will not be driverless. The fleet of autonomous vehicles will have human safety operators driving before driverless in 2027, a VW spokesperson for Techcrunch told.
This gives Volkswagen ADMT, the Volkswagen of America’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary, up to two years to navigate the regulatory landscape in California and obtain the necessary permits to test its autonomous vehicles and possibly operate a commercial service.
Volkswagen ADMT will start the tests in Los Angeles later this year once he has received his initial test permit from California Department of Motor Vehicles. The agency regulates tests and the autonomous deployment of vehicles in the state, and California Public Utilities Commission manages the commercial component of the Robotaxi services.
Despite the considerable obstacles to come, the partnership is a notable step for Volkswagen ADMT. The subsidiary was published publicly in July 2023 with an autonomous vehicle test program in Austin and a fleet of 10 electric buzz vehicles equipped with mobilee partner technology.
His Parent Volkswagen group, with Ford, had reached its ambitions as autonomous vehicles to the startup Argo, until the two car manufacturers draw financial support and encompassing its remains. Volkswagen then turned to Mobileye to obtain autonomous vehicle technology, and this relationship was deepened recently. ADMT, the effort based on the United States of Volkswagen, was launched approximately nine months after the closure of Argo.
Volkswagen, in 2023, said that he did not want to build a service dedicated to carpooling. However, he seemed to see a company in the sale of its autonomous identification and management management software to other companies.
The details of its partnership with Uber suggest that the plan is intact.
“Volkswagen is not only a car manufacturer – we feel the future of mobility, and our collaboration with Uber accelerates this vision,” said Senger Christian, CEO of Volkswagen Autonomy Mobility, in a press release. “What really distinguishes us is our ability to combine the best of both worlds – a high -volume manufacturing expertise with advanced technology and an in -depth understanding of urban mobility needs.”
It is also the last AV d’Uber partnership. The carpooling giant has spent the past few years locking agreements with more than 14 autonomous vehicle companies through the driver, delivery and trucking. Uber recently launched a Robotaxi service with Waymo in Austin, and is about to do the same in Atlanta.
