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Uber is getting back into the robotaxi game, only this time it’s tapping a third party to handle its self-driving technology.
Motional, an Aptiv-Hyundai joint venture introducing self-driving vehicle technology, will eventually roll out its robot taxis to major North American cities later this year as part of a 10-year operating agreement on Uber’s network. The deal comes a year after the two companies partnered to test autonomous transportation in Santa Monica, California, using Motion autonomous vehicles.
As of the delivery pilot, the new Accord will feature Motional’s all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 5-based autonomous vehicles. Uber and Motional haven’t said where it will launch first.
The move is a nod to Uber’s strategy, or rather, its desire to one day ride profitably — first as a “value light” company that relied on gig workers driving their own personal vehicles, and now adding robotaxis to the mix. Uber says it is not interested in replacing AV drivers and dispatchers and needs a hybrid network in the future.
Automated driving technology has long been part of Uber’s end game. The company In 2015, Uber launched its own self-driving unit called ATG, but found it not only a financial pitfall, but a brand disaster after one of Uber’s test AVs (with a human operator behind the wheel) was hit and killed. Pedestrian. Uber sold the unit to Aurora. In the year As part of a complex deal in 2020, it will hand over its equity in ATG and invest $400 million in AV tech startups. The deal gave Uber Since the 26% stake in Aurora The ride-hailing company pulled down the balance sheet.
Now, it looks like Uber is trying to avoid the costs of designing and training its self-driving cars, while still reaping the benefits to the bottom line — and without adding more risk to its stock price.
As part of the partnership, Uber will use its reams of data to share insights on how to classify and place mobile vehicles.
Noah Zich, head of global mobility and delivery at Uber, told TechCrunch, “Instead of building the AVs ourselves, we decided to bring the fleet of AV builders into our network. “While this won’t happen overnight, we expect autonomous vehicles to become an increasingly important part of the transportation ecosystem and Uber’s business.
While Uber Freight has partnered with Aurora to deliver goods to customers with self-driving trucks, there has yet to be a robotaxi partnership between the two. However, Zich said Uber’s mobility business is working with several third-party autonomous companies, including Aurora, to build a “safe, reliable and efficient network for Uber customers.”
Uber has been working with Motional since May, when it began piloting autonomous delivery for Uber Eats in California, and Motional said it has since expanded to include more restaurants.
That can Motional already has a license to test AVs – with a safety driver – in California, so give us a hint where the companies will first launch robotaxi services. The startup told TechCrunch that it has applied to the California Department of Motor Vehicles for a driverless testing permit, started driving tests in Southern California last year, and hopes to expand testing to include driverless operations.
Las Vegas is another possible location.
Motional has been experimenting in Las Vegas for years and recently launched a free robotaxi service with the Lyft network. The two companies They plan to launch a full commercial operation in 2023, something that is still in the works even though Motional faces competition from Lyft. Motional will launch a robotaxi service in Las Vegas in the spring of 2022 with its order-and-ride technology.
“We believe that Ride-Hylo and their massive millions of drivers are the best way to scale driverless technology,” Akshay Jaising, Motional’s VP of commercialization, told TechCrunch. “The partnership allows us to focus on what we do best, building safe and smart autonomous vehicles, rather than trying to build a network. Plus, with converged networks, users don’t have to switch between multiple apps. They can go to one app to get the ride that’s most convenient for them, whether it’s a robotaxi or a traditional vehicle.” It’s a better experience for the end customer.”
Other AV companies, like Ford-backed Argo AI, are pursuing a similar strategy of partnering with existing ride-hailing networks. In fact, Argo is running two commercial robotaxi operations in Miami with the Lyft Network and last week in Austin.
Meanwhile, companies like Waymo and Cruise are also getting on the commercial robotaxi track.
Cruise launched its fully driverless ride-on service (with a human behind the wheel) in San Francisco this summer, and plans to launch in Phoenix and Austin later this year.
Waymo is offering a commercial robotaxi service in San Francisco, despite safety drivers on Waymo rides. The company has been offering fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing services in Chandler, just outside of Phoenix, since 2020, and recently expanded its driverless program in the city.
Clarification: A sentence has been revised to reflect Uber’s intent to add robotics to the hybrid model. The company says it has no intention of cutting gig workers.
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