Volkswagen of America and Uber announced on Thursday their plan to introduce a commercial robotaxi service, utilizing autonomous electric Volkswagen ID. BUZZ vehicles, in several U.S. cities over the next ten years.
The companies aim to launch the service in Los Angeles, the first city on their agenda, by the end of 2026. However, they have not disclosed details about other potential future markets.
Initially, the service will not be entirely driverless. The fleet will include human safety operators in the vehicles until they transition to a driverless system in 2027. This information was provided by a Volkswagen spokesperson to TechCrunch.
Volkswagen’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary in America, Volkswagen ADMT, has a timeline of up to two years to work through California’s regulatory requirements and obtain the necessary permits to test autonomous vehicles and eventually run a commercial service.
Testing is set to commence in Los Angeles later this year, conditional upon receiving the initial testing permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which oversees autonomous vehicle testing and deployment. Meanwhile, the California Public Utilities Commission is responsible for permitting the commercial ride-hailing aspect of robotaxi services.
Despite the challenges anticipated, this collaboration signifies an important milestone for Volkswagen ADMT. The subsidiary, which officially launched in July 2023, has already started an autonomous vehicle test program in Austin with a fleet of 10 electric ID Buzz vehicles equipped with Mobileye’s technology.
Volkswagen Group, along with Ford, previously aligned their autonomous vehicle goals with the startup Argo. However, both automakers eventually withdrew financial support, subsequently integrating its resources. Volkswagen has since partnered with Mobileye for autonomous vehicle technology, a partnership that has strengthened recently. ADMT’s launch occurred roughly nine months after Argo’s dissolution.
In 2023, Volkswagen indicated that it was not focused on developing a dedicated ride-hailing service but showed interest in selling its self-driving ID Buzz vans and fleet management software to other companies.
Details of the Volkswagen-Uber partnership suggest that this strategy remains active. Volkswagen Autonomous Mobility CEO, Christian Senger, highlighted that Volkswagen’s role extends beyond car manufacturing to shaping future mobility, and the partnership with Uber is a step toward realizing that vision. Senger emphasized the fusion of high-volume manufacturing skills with cutting-edge technology and a profound understanding of urban mobility needs as Volkswagen’s strength.
For Uber, this marks another venture into autonomous vehicle partnerships. The ride-hailing company has established agreements with over 14 autonomous vehicle firms across ride-hailing, delivery, and trucking sectors over recent years. Uber recently initiated a robotaxi service with Waymo in Austin and plans to implement a similar service in Atlanta soon.
