A fresh spin on the future of mobility: Uber & Waymo's autonomous adventure in Austin
Volkswagen teams up with Uber to offer autonomous ride-sharing services by 2026
buckle up, folks! You're in for a ride with Uber and Waymo's autonomous cars taking the streets of Austin, Texas.
The game's afoot in the auto and tech industries, racing to bring autonomous vehicles into everyday life—and Uber wants a front-row seat. Why? The ride-sharing giant is diving headfirst into the electric, autonomous future, partnering with an automotive titan to create a shared-ride service with a German automaker.
Uber's Chief Product Officer, Sachin Kansal, spilled the beans to FOX Business: "The future...will be shared, electric, and autonomous." Their partnership with Volkswagen couldn't be more timely, then. Uber announced this week their plans to collaborate with Volkswagen, planning to deploy a massive fleet of ID. Buzz AD vehicles for shared rides across the US over the next decade, staring Los Angeles in 2026. These vehicles will be the first to be used for shared rides, blazing a trail for a swift autonomous revolution.
*DRIVERLESS RIDES, NOW IN TEXAS*
Some companies have put their foot on the gas to make self-driving a reality. However, Uber isn't dragging its heels—they've flipped the script, selling their autonomous vehicle research division in 2020 and forging alliances with 18 tech partners to bring the tech to market, like Waymo, Volvo, Cartken, and Nuro. Armed with this tech and partnerships, Uber's also dabbled in autonomous delivery, running programs in 11 cities with six partners.
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An all-electric, self-driving ID. Buzz AD vehicle zipping around the city streets? Uber's already making it happen in Texas. Earlier this month, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi reported growth in autonomous vehicle trips, reaching 1.5 million trips annually.
UBER TECHNOLOGIES INC.
| Securities | Ticker | Last | Change | Change % ||------------------|--------|------|--------|---------|| UBER Technologies Inc. | UBER | 91.94 | 1.78 | 1.98% |
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Making those shared rides seamless is key, according to Kansal. A dense network of riders and drivers, and top-notch technology that delivers a stellar experience for both passengers and drivers, are essential for success.
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*POPPIN' THE CLUTCH IN ATLANTA AND BEYOND*
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Uber took a major step forward just this March, joining forces with Alphabet's Waymo to bring the fascinating future of self-driving to Atlanta. Since then, Uber customers have shown a palpable interest, with over 90% of people opting for a Waymo autonomous vehicle whenever given a chance.
Approximately 100 Waymo vehicles are on parking duty in Austin, and the company aims to expand to hundreds of vehicles citywide over the next few months. Atlanta will soon join the fun, with Uber and Waymo readying an "interest list" for locals to sign up and up their chances of hitching a ride in a Waymo vehicle when the service debuts this summer. That'll make Atlanta the second city to host the co-branded, self-driving Jaguar I-PACE vehicles.
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"Uber has been the gateway for electric vehicles for one in four riders," says Kansal, and the same is bound to happen with self-driving cars, he added. Building public trust is the key—just a matter of familiarizing folks with these state-of-the-art machines.
So buckle up and keep your eyes on Austin and Atlanta! Autonomous vehicles are no longer a distant dream but an exciting reality—and Uber's riding right in the front seat.
- Uber, with its partnership with Waymo and a shared-ride service with a German automaker, is aggressively pursuing an autonomous future in the technology and automotive industries, as they aim to deploy a large fleet of electric autonomous vehicles across the US in the coming decades.
- Uber's CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, has reported growth in autonomous vehicle trips, reaching 1.5 million annual trips, and the company has sold its autonomous vehicle research division, instead opting to work with 18 tech partners to bring autonomy to market, including Waymo, Volvo, Cartken, and Nuro.
- Uber is currently offering autonomous rides in Austin, Texas, and aiming to expand to hundreds of autonomous vehicles in the city, while also planning to debut the service in Atlanta this summer. The company sees itself as a gateway for electric and self-driving vehicles, building public trust by familiarizing people with these advanced machines.
