US mobility as a service company, Lyft, has announced partnerships with Mobileye, May Mobility, and Nexar to introduce robotaxis to its ridehail platform.
This move also aims to enhance research and development in autonomous vehicle (AV) technology.
Lyft’s collaboration with Intel-backed Mobileye will enable the rideshare platform to accommodate vehicles equipped with Mobileye’s autonomous technology.
However, the company has not specified the launch timeline or the number of Mobileye vehicles that will be available.
In addition to Mobileye, Lyft has partnered with May Mobility, a Toyota-backed startup.
May Mobility plans to deploy self-driving Toyota Sienna minivans on Lyft’s platform by 2025, starting in Atlanta.
The partnership may expand to other markets, further integrating AVs into Lyft’s operations.
The third partnership involves a data collaboration with Nexar, a dashcam manufacturer.
By combining Lyft’s data with Nexar’s video footage, the companies aim to build a comprehensive dataset for autonomous technology research and development.
This initiative is expected to advance the capabilities of self-driving technology.
Lyft CEO David Risher said: “Lyft’s aim is to connect AVs, drivers, riders, and partners to create new opportunities for all.
“Our rideshare network will continue to evolve as millions of people will have the opportunity to earn billions of dollars whether they choose to drive, put their AVs into service, or both.”
Mobileye president and CEO Amnon Shashua said: “Enabling Mobileye Drive with Lyft’s network of 40 million annual riders in North America would allow our AV customers to reach new markets and geographies with autonomous services and provide the benefits of the technology through a sustainable business.”
Lyft’s recent partnerships reflect its strategy to compete with larger rival Uber Technologies, which, according to Bloomberg, has 14 autonomous-related collaborations.
Despite Lyft’s progress, its partners do not yet match the scale of Uber’s prominent collaborator, Alphabet‘s Waymo.
Waymo recently secured $5.6bn in an investment round to expand its autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo One.
The oversubscribed round included contributions from investors such as Alphabet, Andreessen Horowitz, and T Rowe Price.
Uber has also formed partnership with Wayve, a company focusing on mapless end-to-end artificial intelligence technology for AVs.
