But by launching now, the ride-sharing service is beating Google to the punch; that company is planning to launch its own self-driving ride-share service.
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The development work will be conducted by Volvo and Uber engineers in close collaboration.
The world’s largest ridesharing service today announced that it’s teaming up with Volvo on a new $300 million joint venture aimed at developing self-driving cars.
Once up and running, Uber will allow customers in downtown Pittsburgh to summon self-driving cars from their phones. “It’s not everyday that a company so publicly and aggressively and openly says ‘we want to replace our workforce”. It’s also the latest tie-up between Silicon Valley, ride-hailing firms and major automakers.
Ford Motor Co.is aiming to have fully self-driving cars – with no steering wheels or pedals – in ride-sharing fleets by 2021.
The specially outfitted Volvo sport utes are laden with sensors, cameras, radar and Global Positioning System receivers to help the vehicle navigate the streets of the Steel City.
Uber’s self-driving Volvo via Bloomberg.
With the acquisition of Otto, Uber gets a fast infusion of self-driving expertise, including Otto co-founder Anthony Levandowski, one of the founding fathers of autonomous technology. Intel makes the computer processors necessary to operate self-driving cars, while Mobileye makes advanced camera systems.
But the race is on.
Both companies have previously announced plans to develop self-driving cars, which will take passengers to their destinations of choice without human intervention.
“The city of Pittsburgh has been fully supportive of Uber’s efforts to expand its program and advance innovation”. It’s not even a leader. The investment will be shared roughly equally by the two companies. The company will run an experiment in Pittsburgh, rolling out the first-ever self-driving fleet that’s available to everyday customers. GM bought a 9% stake in Lyft earlier this year. The vehicle will have neither a steering wheel nor pedals and will be rolled out for commercial ride-hailing services, not directly to consumers. (One immediate benefit: The trips will be free, instead of the local rate of $US1.30 a mile, or $1 per kilometre.) When you get into a vehicle, a tablet in the backseat will inform you that the auto is being driven autonomously.
The real breakthrough for autonomous cars, Walker Smith said, will be when a company puts one on public roads without a backup human. Sitting shotgun, an observer will take notes on a laptop.
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Levandowski’s business proposition was straightforward.
