Uber beats Waymo as first to launch robotaxis in London

Uber has begun offering London riders the chance to travel in robotaxi-equipped vehicles, reaching the market ahead of Waymo in what the company describes as the city’s first commercial service of its kind. The rollout relies on self-driving technology from Wayve, a British autonomous-vehicle developer. It is not yet a driverless service: trained safety operators will remain in the front seats during the opening phase, watching the system as trips take place.

The launch gives Uber a prominent early position in a city where autonomous ride-hailing has been anticipated for years. Uber and Wayve had been preparing for a British deployment over several years, and the debut gives the ride-hailing platform a practical chance to establish how the service is experienced by London passengers. It also broadens a real-world test of autonomous transport beyond its principal centers in the United States and China, with a smaller presence already existing in parts of the Middle East.

Eligible customers in London can express interest through the preferences area of the Uber app. A rider who books through UberX, Uber Comfort or Uber Electric may then be matched with a car running Wayve’s automated-driving system, although no booking is assured to receive one. The initial vehicles are Ford Mustang Mach-Es. Wayve expects Nissan Leafs to join the fleet later, expanding the range of cars available for the program.

For now, the person in the vehicle is an important qualification to the robotaxi label. Safety drivers licensed by Transport for London will supervise journeys from the front of the cabin. Uber says they will not be responsible for routine driving and are intended to be removed gradually as the service moves toward rides without an onboard human. That staged approach places London’s launch between conventional ride-hailing and the fully empty-front-seat model pursued by some rivals.

Wayve’s system also differs from many established robotaxi programs in its operating model. Uber says the cars will not be restricted by a geofence, the digital operating perimeter commonly used to limit an automated fleet to mapped areas. The company attributes that choice to Wayve’s AV2.0 technology, which is designed to function without the traditional dependence on fixed high-definition maps and hand-built driving rules. The intended result is a system that can adapt to unfamiliar conditions rather than being confined to a tightly prescribed service zone.

The sensor strategy is another distinction. The vehicles use cameras and radar, but not lidar, the laser-based sensing technology used by Waymo and many other autonomous-driving operators. Wayve says its software can work with different combinations of automotive sensors and computing hardware. It maintains that manufacturers could add lidar if they wished, while arguing that its own approach can operate without expensive sensors or detailed maps. The philosophy puts Wayve closer to Tesla’s lidar-free robotaxi strategy than to the hardware-heavy approach used by several competitors.

Wayve was created in 2017 by two University of Cambridge machine-learning doctoral students. The company says its system learns in a way intended to cope with changing roads, weather and driving situations. Beyond Uber, it is developing hands-free driving technology with Stellantis. Earlier this year, the startup raised $1.2 billion from backers that included Uber, Nvidia, Stellantis, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz, according to TechCrunch, providing substantial support for a business that still must prove its technology in public passenger service.

Operational responsibilities are divided among several parties. Uber will handle vehicle maintenance and servicing alongside the UK fleet operator Otto Car, while Wayve remains responsible for the automated-driving system itself. That arrangement reflects Uber’s wider strategy of working with a collection of autonomous-vehicle specialists rather than building every component alone. The company has also announced or developed relationships with Zoox, Avride, Nuro, Motional and Waabi, and has said it expects to spend more than $10 billion over time on its robotaxi ambitions.

The London market is unlikely to remain a one-company story. Waymo has said it plans to introduce robotaxis in the city before the end of the year, while Lyft is preparing a Baidu partnership that is expected to begin in Brent. Uber has advocated a mixed network of conventional drivers and robotaxis; Waymo favors rides without a human driver inside. The two businesses still cooperate in Austin and Atlanta, but their competing visions have fueled suggestions of a future split. London will now test whether riders accept a supervised first step while the industry argues over the destination.

Source: The Verge