Taxi service provider Uber has teamed up with its Chinese colleague WeRide to introduce an autonomous taxi fleet in Abu Dhabi, UAE. If the experiment proves to be a success, it will eventually be expanded to a number of cities across Europe.
All vehicles are based on a Geely minivan chassis. Each one packs more than 20 self-driving sensors ranging from basic video cameras to a LiDAR. The company claims that the system corresponds to SAE Level 4 autonomy, meaning there is no need for a driver to be present at all times. The steering wheel and the pedals are still there, but Uber says customers will be making trips without any attendants present in the car.
Only select Uber users will be able to hail a cab like this in Abu Dhabi. They will get an option in their mobile app labeled “Autonomous”, which will only succeed some of the time when selected and only work for trips around Yas Island. Still, the company plans to add other routes as soon as the initial testing stages are complete.
