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DW
2 days ago
- Automotive
- DW
Autonomous driving: VW wants to overtake Tesla – DW
VW will launch the autonomous ID. Buzz AD in 2026. With that, it's hoping to overtake Tesla in the robotaxi race. Other competitors are also getting involved in this billion-dollar market. In Germany, there are many people who cannot manage without a car, particularly in the countryside, where public transport networks can be patchy, nonexistent even. Transitioning to electric, or e-, vehicles will not solve the transportation problem on its own. Privately owned electric cars may not run on oil, but they still consume resources, take up space, require roads and parking areas. But much could be resolved if people were able to switch to using robot taxis. For years now, countries like the USA and China have been running pilot projects with self-driving cars and driverless vans. These vehicles are also being tested in Germany, but so far no approvals have been issued for so-called level 4 systems — completely autonomous cars with no driver at the wheel. The German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) says that legally it is possible, in Germany and in the EU as a whole, but until now the general introduction of these vehicles still seems a long way off. Robotaxis from 2026, by VW But now VW has surged ahead with a driverless e-van: the ID. Buzz AD ("autonomous driving"), a level 4 vehicle that drives set routes. Europe's biggest car manufacturer presented the production version of the self-driving electric van in Hamburg on June 17. It is scheduled to go on the road in 2026. Initially, it will only be deployed in Hamburg and Los Angeles, but the intention is for it then to be rolled out more widely. "This certainly has not been set up as a small series production," says Christian Senger, a member of the board of management of VW Commercial Vehicles, who is responsible for its autonomous driving sector. The vans will be manufactured in very large numbers. The Hannover VW factory is set to produce more than 10,000 commercial vehicles. "We believe we can be the leading supplier in Europe," Senger says. VW already has a buyer, the Uber taxi service company. The two firms signed an agreement in April for cooperation in the US. According to Senger, Uber plans to purchase up to 10,000 VW e-vans over the next ten years. The ID Buzz AD has 13 cameras, five radars, and nine LiDARs (pictured), which use lasers to calculate distance Image: Lukas Barth/Reuters Overtaking Tesla VW has jumped ahead of Tesla with its ID. Buzz AD presentation. Earlier this month, Elon Musk "tentatively" announced June 22 — this Sunday — as the date for the launch of his own robotaxi, based on the Model Y SUV, but this is still unconfirmed. "We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift," Musk said at the time on his social media platform, X. Tesla's initial plans are for just 10 to 20 Model Y SUVs to operate as public robotaxis in one area of Austin, Texas, the city where Tesla is headquartered. But, as usual, Musk is thinking big. In an interview with US broadcaster CBS, he announced that there would be some 1,000 Tesla robotaxis on the road within months, and hundreds of thousands by the end of 2026. Musk also announced in May that several US cities would be approved for autonomous driving for private Tesla owners before the end of the year. This promise is not new: Back in 2017, he promised that this function would be activated within two years. Waymo: Google robotaxis miles ahead Right now, Google affiliate Waymo is streets ahead when it comes to autonomous driving. Waymo's driverless robotaxis are already on the road in several US cities, making more than 250,000 paid journeys with passengers every week. The vehicles are mostly converted electric cars made by Jaguar. Waymo also announced in May that it planned to more than double the number of vehicles by the end of 2026. Tech giant Amazon is also in the running for the emerging market in autonomous driving. Amazon's robotaxi company Zoox plans to put cars on the road in Las Vegas and San Francisco without steering wheels or pedals, with space for up to four passengers. Competition from China China is also looking to solve its transport problems through autonomous driving. The Google rival Baidu runs a fleet of around 1,000 Apollo Go robotaxis, which completed more than 1.4 million journeys in the first quarter of this year. The Chinese company has a fleet of more than 300 robotaxis, and it wants to increase this to as many as 3,000 by the end of next year. WeRide, meanwhile, has around 400 vehicles. Autonomous vehicles are already on the road in China, like this Apollo Go self-driving taxi Image: Johannes Neudecker/dpa/picture alliance Goldman Sachs estimates that by 2030 there will be about half a million robotaxis in service in more than 10 Chinese cities. In China, the question is no longer whether autonomous driving is possible, but how companies will make commercial use of the sector's rapid development. Projections for the future are very promising. The investment bank puts the total sales potential of the Chinese robotaxi sector at around $54 million (€47 million) this year but expects that figure to increase exponentially by 2035, to around $47 billion. VW focused on fleets, transport associations VW's new e-van is not aimed at private customers. Instead it hopes to supply business customers, fleet operators and transport associations, providing a package to include total software solutions, a booking app, fleet management and maintenance. In Hamburg, for example, the company has established cooperation with the local transport association, HVV. A declaration of intent has also been agreed with the Berlin transport authority, the BVG. VW hopes to gain approval to operate driverless cars in Europe and the US by the end of 2026. This would mean they would no longer need a safety driver, currently a mandatory requirement. VW says it would be the first such approval for level 4 autonomous driving in Europe. If level 4 self-driving vehicles are approved, a safety driver would no longer be required to sit behind the wheel Image: Lukas Barth/Reuters There is a catch though. VW's Senger does not expect the top dog of Germany's beleaguered auto industry to make any money, at least at first. In the long term, though, he explains that autonomous driving is the lucrative field of the future, one that promises to be much more profitable than the traditional automotive industry. "This is our big chance to establish a future opportunity for the VW Group," he says. The exact price has not yet been announced but the ID. Buzz AD is unlikely to come cheap. According to Senger, buyers will have to pay a low six-figure sum (in euros) per vehicle. Public funding is needed That means it's going to be expensive for transport companies. The Association of German Transport Companies or VDV, is calling for a nationally coordinated strategy of long-term financing, and a market launch supported by public funding, to establish the country's supremacy in this market. An autonomous shuttle bus in Germany, part of a pilot project that local public transport operators want to see more of Image: Swen Pförtner/dpa/picture alliance The current government's coalition agreement declares: "Germany is to become the leading market for autonomous driving, developing and co-financing model regions with the federal states." Ingo Wortmann from the VDV comments that start-up funding of around €3 billion is needed to take this idea from pilot project to standrad operating procedure. This article was originally published in German.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Waymo Recalls 80% of Robotaxis for Updates as L.A.'s Service Industry Goes Cyborg
Seventy-five years ago, a new kind of drive-in restaurant opened on Beverly Boulevard in Hollywood. The Track promised to do away with carhops (and tipping) by sending food down a conveyor belt directly to waiting automobiles parked around the building. The place lasted for about five minutes until the drive-thru window was born, but employers have long dreamed of eliminating pesky humans from the workplace. Restaurants, warehouses and now taxicabs are increasingly becoming automated as robots learn our jobs. For now, robo-lattes in Glendale and bionic pizzerias in East Hollywood are a fun novelty but when the A.I. is piloting two-and-a-half tons of British luxury car down the road, things can go wrong. Waymo, owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, recently issued a recall for more than 80% of its fleet of 1,500 cars operating in Los Angeles, Austin, Phoenix, and San Francisco. Those Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis are under scrutiny after several high-profile incidents found the high-tech vehicles on the wrong side of the road, slowly crashing into telephone poles or trapping customers inside while doing donuts. This is at least the third recall and software update since last year when the company reported nine collisions, according to TechCrunch. 'Driverless cars,' Waymo said in a statement. 'Reduced injury causing collisions by 81% compared to expected human performance.' A Waymo in West Hollywood recently gave a little love tap to an Uber Eats Serve bot attempting to cross La Cienega Boulevard with someone's dinner. Next year, Volkswagen plans to roll out it's retro van ID Buzz AD on L.A. streets in partnership with Uber, right as Zoox, Amazon's capsule-shaped pushmi-pullyu hits the road. The concerns are not stopping the mechanical men from their goal of eliminating the puny mortal workforce. 'The robots don't take time off,' Shahan Ohanessian, CEO of cyborg-run convenience store VenHub told NBC. 'They're working seven days a week and they don't really celebrate holidays.' He also noted that the machines recently installed in Glendale and North Hollywood are bulletproof should anyone choose to go to war with our new robot overlords.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Uber and VW Team Up to Bring Robotaxis to a US City Near You
Volkswagen and Uber are teaming up to deploy a fleet of thousands of all-electric, fully autonomous robotaxis. The companies said in a press release Thursday that the ID Buzz AD minivans will launch in "multiple" US markets over the next decade, starting in Los Angeles next year. Testing is expected to begin later this year, the companies said. Initially, however, the vehicles won't be fully autonomous. Human operators will be on board "to help refine the technology and ensure safety," the companies said in a joint statement. The fleet will be equipped with sensors and software from MOIA, Volkswagen's autonomous mobility subsidiary. Before the rollout can begin, the companies will need to secure the appropriate permits and clearances from the state of California. The collaboration marks a major step in Uber's autonomous vehicle ambitions and Volkswagen's push to commercialize its self-driving platform. It also comes at a time when more self-driving taxis are hitting the road. Waymo, the driverless division of Google's parent company, Alphabet, continues to expand into new cities, from Austin to Tokyo. According to Michael Ramsey, an analyst at the research firm Gartner, the concept of robotaxis is starting to make a comeback. "If you stretch your mind back 10 years ago, a lot of companies were pretty bullish about this technology being widespread by 2020," he told CNET. "That obviously didn't happen, but now the technology has improved and come down a lot in price. I expect that we begin to see true commercialization over the next year or two." Meanwhile, Tesla is also working on both robotaxis and a so-called Robovan -- a larger autonomous vehicle designed to transport up to 20 passengers or carry cargo. Earlier this week, Tesla tweeted that it had recently completed over 1,500 trips and 15,000 miles using its full self-driving vehicles. Its supervised ride-hailing service is already live for select employees in Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area. On its earnings call Tuesday, the company said it plans to expand the service to the public in Austin as early as June. It's unclear which other markets Volkswagen and Uber are targeting. The companies did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Uber and Volkswagen Will Soon Let You Hop in a Shared Self-Driving Ride
Hot on the heels of their partnership announcement, Uber and Volkswagen will soon be launching shared autonomous rides, the companies said Wednesday. The initiative is slated to kick off in Los Angeles in 2026. Riders will be able to hail a fully electric, self-driving ride aboard the ID Buzz AD minivan. In April, the companies said they'll be deploying thousands of the minivans in "multiple" US cities over the next decade. Testing is slated to begin later this year, before the commercial launch in LA in 2026. Human operators will be on board the vehicles in the initial phase to ensure everything's running smoothly. "Autonomous technology will drive a safer and more affordable future for everyone, and we can't wait to expand access to it around the world," Uber said in a release. Currently, passengers in certain cities can summon autonomous vehicles through platforms like Uber and Waymo, but those rides aren't shared. Alphabet-owned Waymo operates fully autonomous rides for the general public in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, with a launch slated for Atlanta later this year. Depending on the city, you can either hail a Waymo through the company's Waymo One app or via the Uber app. Uber has teamed up with more than a dozen other autonomous vehicle companies, including May Mobility and Nuro. Shared rides could also address concerns about self-driving cars adding to traffic congestion. Critics have pointed to the "empty miles" that come with autonomous vehicles roaming around between pickups. If multiple people hop in the same car, it's more likely that there'll be someone on board. Shared autonomous rides are also a way for passengers to save money. In my experience, the cost of a Waymo in San Francisco is often slightly higher than a human-driven ride through Uber and Lyft. In cities where Uber offers rides aboard Waymo's self-driving vehicles, it says the price is comparable to a standard, non-AV ride. Shared autonomous rides take things a step further by giving you a discount -- with the cost being shared space with strangers.
