Robotaxi :
As the world is inevitably shifting toward clean energy, ride-hailing service providers are going a step further in the race of automation and are launching self-driving cars (Robotaxis) to own the space.
And now we have the latest addition, Lyft along with Motional, an autonomous EV company has officially launched its Robotaxi on the roads of the Sin City – Las Vegas.
However, it’s not a full-scale launch as a mass driverless cab service is planned to launch in 2023 in the city.
Motional is an autonomous electric vehicle joint venture between Aptiv and Hyundai. For more than 4 years Lyft and Motional tested the Robotaxi in Vegas streets and has completed over 100,000 passenger trips.
Hyundai’s EV Ioniq 5 automobiles have been modified to achieve this commercial goal.
When you hail a ride and hop into this Robotaxi don’t be surprised to see a driver in the driver’s seat, and it’s not a mannequin but a real safety driver behind the wheel in case of an emergency as a custom.
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The companies announced that the fully driverless Robotaxi will hit the road in the coming year.
However, there’s a catch and it’s a good one, the rides will be free until the official service next year, you don’t even have to go through the hassle of signing a non-disclosure agreement or signing in to stay on a waiting list, unlike most other robotaxi services.
“The service is open to the public. Any Lyft rider in Las Vegas can request a Motional AV. No NDAs, no sign-ups,” said Akshay Jaising, Motional VP of commercialization in a report.
The customers can control the locking and unlocking of the doors, and start the ride via their Lyft app. And will have access to a range of new features.
“We believe the best feedback is from real riders, not employees or limited participants,” he added.
There are only a handful of players in the robotaxi service-providing field.
Zoox, a subsidiary of Amazon, Waymo, a driverless EV of Alphabet, Cruise, a driverless vehicle of General Motors, Argo, an EV by Ford, and Volkswagen.
All these companies have already talked with Lyft to be the portal of the driverless cab service in the future.
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