Autonomous Ride-Hailing Hits the Streets: VW and Uber Partner for Self-Driving Taxis by Year's End
Volkswagen to Introduce Autonomous Taxis on Public Roadways in 2021
The future of transportation is almost here as self-driving vehicles become a reality on US roads. Now, Volkswagen aims to join the race with a partnership with ride-hailing giant Uber. Thousands of electric minibuses from VW's ID Buzz AD model will be cruising for Uber customers in the US, heralded by Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi as a "significant step" in autonomous mobility.
The collaboration between the German automaker and the tech-savvy ride-service company commences immediately, with a trial period set to begin towards the end of the year. Commercially available rides will hit the road for the first time in Los Angeles in 2026 — initially with trained safety drivers on board to hone the technology and ensure top-notch safety standards.
Kjell Gruner, VW Americas CEO, expressed enthusiasm, declaring, "Autonomy is reshaping the world, and our alliance with Uber represents the next stage in realizing our vision for autonomous mobility."
Already, businesses such as Waymo (a subsidiary of Google) have proven successful with robotaxis in cities like San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin. More cities will join them this year. Tesla plans to roll out a robotaxi, the Cybercab, by 2026. However, setting projects like Cruise (General Motors) back, the automaker shut down its self-driving project in late 2024, burned through a staggering $10 billion in the process.
VW Unveils New Wheels
The Volkswagen Group, along with its Audi and Porsche brands, has embarked on a major product offensive at the Shanghai Auto Show. The event began on Wednesday. Taking center stage were five world premieres, with no less than three production-ready vehicles showcased as "show cars."
In the lineup was an SUV functioning as a "range extender," meaning an electric vehicle with an internal combustion engine that boosts the battery for increased range. Moreover, VW presented fully electric vehicles and a vehicle in the fiercely contested compact class, ready to challenge Chinese competitors price-wise.
- Uber
- Volkswagen
- Autonomous driving
- USA
- California Department of Motor Vehicles
Enrichment Data:
- Initial Launch Location: The service launch will commence in Los Angeles, with potential expansion to other US cities over the next decade.
- Timeline: Testing is due to start later in 2022, followed by commercial services in late 2026.
- Vehicle Features: The ID. Buzz AD vehicles will initially have human operators during the testing and launch phases.
- Further Development and Regulatory Approvals: Prior to fully autonomous operations in 2027, the fleet must navigate regulatory approvals and testing phases.
- Uber has agreed to partner with Volkswagen for self-driving taxis, with the deployment of electric minibuses from the ID Buzz AD model set to begin in the United States.
- The collaboration between Uber and Volkswagen will initiate immediately, and a trial period will begin towards the end of 2022.
- The service launch will commence in Los Angeles, with potential expansion to other US cities over the next decade.
- Commercially available self-driving taxis from Uber and Volkswagen will hit the road for the first time in 2026, initially with trained safety drivers on board.
- Uber and Volkswagen will continue to navigate regulatory approvals and testing phases to enable fully autonomous operations in 2027.
