Uber launches self-driving taxi service to compete with Cybercab

The race to deploy self-driving taxis is accelerating as Waymo expands testing and Tesla begins limited self-driving taxi service trials in Austin, Texas, a sign of the growing popularity of self-driving cars.

There are currently 100 Waymo vehicles on the Uber platform in Austin and dozens will be launched in Atlanta. Uber will manage and dispatch a fleet of fully autonomous, all-electric Jaguar I-PACEs that “will grow to hundreds” over time, the company said.

Waymo self-driving cars serve through the Uber ride-hailing app in Atlanta. Photo: Reuter

Passengers will pay the same price as UberX, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric when riding in a Waymo self-driving car, but they won't be asked to tip.

Waymo is operating fully autonomously on freeways in California and Arizona for employees but not yet for the general public. Service in Atlanta is limited to major roads.

Waymo robot taxis available through the Uber app will cover about 65 square miles around Atlanta, but won't yet travel on highways or to airports.

The vehicles feature Waymo's driverless technology, called Waymo Driver, built into the battery-electric Jaguar I-PACE SUV.

In September, the companies said they would jointly bring Waymo One to Austin, Texas, and Atlanta. The robo-taxi service arrived in Austin in March, launching in the Texas capital before Elon Musk’s Tesla launched its own robo-taxi service.

Waymo's robot taxi factory in Phoenix, Arizona.

Tesla, which is headquartered in Austin, launched its invite-only pilot robotaxi service there over the weekend. Tesla's robotaxi are Model Y SUVs equipped with the company's latest driverless technology.

Tesla's robot taxis only operate during the day in a geofenced area of Austin and have a human attendant sitting in the front passenger seat for safety.

Waymo’s robotaxi vehicles in Austin, Atlanta and elsewhere operate without any human supervisors on board. They also use sophisticated radar and lidar sensors not currently used on Tesla vehicles.

Once considered a pioneer in the driverless car space, Tesla is now struggling to catch up with Waymo, as well as competitors in China including Baidu's Apollo Go and WeRide, which also partners with Uber.

Tesla Cybercab is facing stiff competition from rivals. Photo: Johan Nelson

In Atlanta and Austin, Waymo rides are only available through the Uber app, while in San Francisco and Los Angeles, passengers book rides through the Waymo One app. The Waymo-Uber partnership only covers passenger rides, not the Uber Eats delivery service.

Waymo said last week that its cars will return to New York City next month for autonomous testing. Waymo has applied for a permit from the New York City Department of Transportation to operate autonomously, with a trained professional behind the wheel, in Manhattan.

In March, Waymo said it aimed to launch a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Washington, D.C., next year. Waymo has more than 1,500 vehicles providing more than 250,000 rides per week across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Austin.

Uber sold its self-driving car division in 2020 to cut costs and focus on its core business, which includes ride-hailing and food delivery services, following the death of a pedestrian struck by an Uber self-driving car in 2018.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/uber-ra-mat-dich-vu-taxi-tu-lai-canh-tranh-cybercab-post1550333.html