Volkswagen of America and Uber on Thursday unveiled an ambitious plan to launch a business robotaxi service — using autonomous electric VW ID. BUZZ vehicles — in multiple U.S. cities over the subsequent decade.
The businesses expect to launch a business service in Los Angeles, the primary city on the list, by late 2026. VW and Uber didn’t provide details on potential future markets.
Initially, the service won’t be driverless. The fleet of autonomous vehicles could have human safety operators behind the wheel before they go driverless in 2027, a VW spokesperson told TechCrunch.
That offers Volkswagen ADMT, the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of Volkswagen of America, as much as two years to navigate the regulatory landscape in California and gain the permits required to check its autonomous vehicles and eventually operate a business service.
Volkswagen ADMT will begin testing in Los Angeles later this yr once it receives its initial testing permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The agency regulates autonomous vehicle testing and deployment within the state, and the California Public Utilities Commission handles permitting for the business ride-hailing component of robotaxi services.
Despite the considerable hurdles ahead, the partnership is a notable step for Volkswagen ADMT. The subsidiary publicly launched in July 2023 with an autonomous vehicle test program in Austin and a fleet of 10 all-electric ID Buzz vehicles equipped with partner Mobileye’s technology.
Its parent Volkswagen Group, together with Ford, had hitched their autonomous vehicles ambitions to startup Argo, until the 2 automakers pulled financial support and devoured up its stays. Volkswagen then turned to Mobileye to source autonomous vehicle technology, and that relationship has deepened recently. ADMT, Volkswagen’s U.S.-based effort, launched about nine months after Argo shut down.
Volkswagen in 2023 said it wasn’t serious about constructing a dedicated ride-hailing service. Still, it did appear to see a business in selling its self-driving ID Buzz vans and fleet management software to other corporations.
Details of its partnership with Uber suggests that plan is unbroken.
“Volkswagen is just not only a automobile manufacturer — we’re shaping the longer term of mobility, and our collaboration with Uber accelerates that vision,” Christian Senger, CEO of Volkswagen Autonomous Mobility, said in a press release. “What really sets us apart is our ability to mix the perfect of each worlds–high-volume manufacturing expertise with cutting-edge technology and a deep understanding of urban mobility needs.”
This can also be Uber’s latest AV partnership. The ride-hailing giant has spent the past several years locking up deals with greater than 14 autonomous vehicle firms across ride-hailing, delivery and trucking. Uber recently launched a robotaxi service with Waymo in Austin, and is about to do the identical in Atlanta.
