Uber just made a deal that will boost its self-driving efforts in a big way as well as signal a shift in the way the company operates.
The Adult | Adult Movies Onlinecompany announced a partnership with Volvo where it would buy "tens of thousands" of self-driving vehicles from the Swedish automaker, deploying them from 2019-2020. The exact terms of the deal weren't initially disclosed, but an Uber spokesperson confirmed to Mashablevia email that the fleet size will be around 24,000 vehicles. The agreement is worth over $1 billion, according to a Wall Street Journalreport.
The agreement marks a bold step forward for Uber, both for its autonomous program and its overall operational strategy. The ride-hailing company has long depended on drivers, which the company treats as independent contractors, to make up its fleet, but the next few years will likely see a flood of Uber-owned driverless vehicles taking the streets.
SEE ALSO: UberEats is going to let you order food from 'virtual restaurants' that don't exist IRLThe new deal expands on a previous alliance between the two companies, which led to Uber's use of autonomous Volvo XC60 SUVs in its pilot programs in San Francisco (now shuttered to the public) and Arizona. Importantly, Volvo won't provide fully developed self-driving cars to Uber — the vehicles will come standard with "core autonomous driving technologies," and Uber will add its own sensors and software after delivery.
Uber's Volvo deal is a reminder that it's far and away the biggest player in the ride hailing industry.
Volvo isn't the only automaker to team with Uber to add self-driving cars to its fleet. Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, has committed to manufacture autonomous cars for Uber, too. The conditions of that agreement are fundamentally different, however: Daimler's cars will use its own driverless platform, not Uber's, and the automaker will own and operate its vehicles on Uber's network.
The Volvo fleet will give Uber its first opportunity to put its autonomous platform into vehicles at a massive scale, expanding beyond its initial trials. The ride-hailing company doesn't have plans to manufacture on its own cars, so agreements like this will be essential to scaling up its self-driving operations beyond small regional pilot projects.
The news of the agreement comes after a quiet period for Uber's autonomous program, as the contentious lawsuit with Google parent Alphabet has advanced. Meanwhile, chief rival Lyft has expanded its public self-driving aspirations, with an ambitious open network for automakers, multiple partnerships for pilot programs, and a new development center to create its own driverless technology platform.
Uber's Volvo deal, however, is a reminder that it's far and away the biggest player in the ride-hailing industry. Even though the company's most recent round of fundraising was uninspiring, it was still valued for $10 billion, about 10 times that of Lyft's largest round. A massive fleet of 24,000 robotaxis could help to make Uber the first operator to normalize self-driving cars — if the company can stay clear of controversy and actually put them out on the road.
Topics Artificial Intelligence Self-Driving Cars Uber
Previous:Kanye Unbound
Next:Over Our Heads
China’s Chery to massJapan gives $2.4 billion in incentives to Toyota and more for battery making · TechNodeChinese rideDJI Air 3S dualStarbucks releases Douyin miniMeituan shifts focus from GMV to order volume amid declining sales · TechNodeSeasun Games’s Mecha BREAK showcases NVIDIA’s AI NPC technology at Gamescom 2024 · TechNodeStellantisKuaishou invites nine movie directors to produce clips using Kling model · TechNodeIntel debuts Core Ultra 200V series processors, Lenovo to unveil new AIChina's Chery reportedly mulls second European factory in the UK · TechNodeUbisoft issues ambiguous response to Tencent buyout speculations · TechNodeSpain hands $146 million to Stellantis’s battery project with CATL · TechNodeIBM shifts China R&D to overseas bases amid staff recruiting: report · TechNodeNETA to mass produce first EV featuring CATL’s skateboard chassis · TechNodeUncertainty looms over next week’s launch of Huawei's HarmonyOS NEXT system · TechNodeSeasun Games’s Mecha BREAK showcases NVIDIA’s AI NPC technology at Gamescom 2024 · TechNodeAlibaba welcomes Tencent’s WeChat Pay as a payment option on its eChinese automaker GAC partners with Momenta on automated driving software · TechNodeLi Auto profits halved by price war, braces for more headwinds · TechNode LinkedIn thinks campus recruiting hurts tech sphere diversity This podcast will help you fall (and stay) asleep Donald Trump will wield the biggest media operation in the history of the U.S. presidency New York forms special police hate crime unit after Trump's win British model issues lengthy, sincere apology for cultural appropriation Amazon's new app will 'see' inside your packages Sound guy leveled by Minnesota Vikings is a metaphor for 2016 Researchers are crowdfunding in a last London rejoice: Fabric nightclub will reopen 15 facts about Nigel Farage, Trump's BFF across the pond Check out the trailer for Crackle's hilarous 'SuperMansion' Christmas special 'Gilmore Girls': 10 modern Kanye West concert canceled following Trump, Beyoncé rants Comedian Chris Martin points out on Twitter he's not that other Chris Martin Over 100 killed after train derails in northern India Uber taps the big fat Indian wedding season Drake gave a shout out to 'Degrassi' at the AMAs because America needed something nice 7 unexpectedly great moments from Season 7 of 'Gilmore Girls' The harsh reality that dog petting polar bears don't exist Giant rats could help fight wildlife smuggling in Africa
1.1528s , 8222.7890625 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Adult | Adult Movies Online】,Fresh Information Network