Volkswagen and Uber have joined forces to introduce the ID. Buzz as a driverless robotaxi service within the U.S., beginning with a pilot program in Los Angeles this yr. The ID. Buzz, whereas a beloved electrical van, might be difficult to navigate in city environments, an issue that autonomous driving expertise goals to resolve.
Volkswagen has been prepping for this initiative for a while. The corporate started testing a fleet of electrical vans outfitted with autonomous {hardware} like lidar and cameras in Austin in June 2023. Previous to this, comparable expertise was in trial phases in Hamburg, Germany, as a part of a three-year program operating till 2026.
In Hamburg, Volkswagen collaborates with MOIA and Holon, which is creating a 15-passenger electrical shuttle referred to as the Mover. Each the Mover and ID. Buzz make the most of the identical self-driving expertise of their trials. Holon additionally plans to introduce its electrical vans within the U.S., beginning in Jacksonville, Florida, though it is unsure if it would collaborate with Volkswagen right here because it does in Germany.
Robotaxis are on the rise within the U.S., with Uber partnering with Waymo, Google’s autonomous car division, to function driverless rides in Austin and Atlanta. Waymo has been offering autonomous rides in its Jaguar I-Tempo automobiles in Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Francisco for a number of years, not too long ago reporting over 200,000 driverless rides weekly.
At present, self-driving Ubers can be found solely in Austin and are restricted in scope, with plans for enlargement to Atlanta later this yr. In West Coast cities, Waymo affords a devoted app for customers to request its robotaxis.
Tesla has additionally introduced plans for its personal driverless ride-hailing service to launch in Austin this June, having hinted at a futuristic robovan design throughout a previous occasion. Nonetheless, it seems that the primary self-driving van riders might expertise will possible be a Volkswagen.
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