In a move to scale up its automated driving systems beyond cabs and delivery cars, Intel Corp’s Mobileye subsidiary wants to create and deploy self-driving electric shuttles in the United States alongside its partners in 2024, executives told Reuters.
The on-demand autonomous shuttles, which will have 12 to 14 seats and no steering wheel or pedal, will be launched by Mobileye, Benteler EV Systems, and Beep.
The shuttles would run in “limited geo-fenced locations” with speed limitations of 35 miles per hour or less, according to Hinrich Woebcken, a member of Beep’s advisory board.
The executives expect a few hundred of the shuttles to be on American roads in the first year of their deployment, with an aim of increasing the number to between 10,000 and 15,000 internationally.
Depending on regulatory approval, Mobileye hopes to deploy robotaxis in Israel and Germany by the end of the year. It’s also collaborating with Udelv, a Silicon Valley firm, to have driverless electric delivery shuttles on the road in the US by 2023.
According to Johann Jungwirth, vice president of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) at Mobileye, the company will demonstrate to federal and state regulators in the United States that its self-driving system is safer than a human driver.
“On a technology perspective, we feel very, very bullish and very strongly that the technology is actually close to being ready,” he said.
Shuttles, according to the CEOs, will assist reduce driver expenses and handle driver shortages, as well as address urban issues like pollution and congestion.
“We see the interesting opportunities and growth of this autonomous mover, autonomous shuttle market. So we see it as a blue ocean,” Marco Kollmeier, managing director of Benteler EV Systems GmbH, said.
The shuttles will be built by Benteler EV Systems, which is part of the German automotive components company Benteler International AG. They will meet automotive industry and safety regulations for public highways.
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