Uber is getting back into driverless cars, this time with outside help. On Wednesday, Uber announced that passengers now have the option of choosing a self-driving car thanks to its partnership with the independent company Motional.
The project was launched in Las Vegas and will soon expand to Los Angeles and other major cities later. On the Uber app, users can select UberX or Uber Comfort Electric to pair with one of the Motional IONIQ 5 electric robotaxis. Users will be prompted to log in before confirming a ride.
A policeman stops a driverless car, the driverless car is seen fleeing, chaos ensues
Passenger can be matched with Motional AV if available.
Credit: Uber / Motional
Check in before you book your ride with Motional AV.
Credit: Uber / Motional
Previously, Uber offered autonomous rides through its internal self-driving division (Uber ATG). But the company’s journey so far has been rocky. In 2017, Uber CEO Anthony Levandowski was fired for stealing self-driving car secrets from his Google employer. In 2018, a pedestrian was killed by one of Uber’s self-driving cars (the driver was charged with negligent homicide). Demand for ride-hailing declined during the pandemic, with Uber selling its self-driving car to Amazon-backed AV company Aurora.
But now, Uber has shifted into gear with its Motional partnership. Earlier this year, Uber Eats began serving customers with Motional AVs. And now Motional will handle all deliveries and rides with Uber.
Initially, drivers will be in the car with passengers. But Uber’s goal is to make the service driverless in 2023. In particular, this is what Lyft has planned. Competitors Uber also partnered with Motional and introduced driverless rides in Las Vegas at CES in 2018. They also plan to be driverless in 2023.
Needless to say, the competition has begun.
