Robo-Taxi

A Robo-Taxi, also known as a Robo-Cab, a self-driving taxi or a driverless taxi is an autonomous car (SAE Level 4 or 5) operated for an e-hailing (on-demand mobility) service.

The fact of eliminating the need for a human chauffeur, which represents a significant part of the operating costs of that type of services, could make it a very affordable solution for the customers and accelerate the spreading of Transportation-as-a-Service (TaaS) solutions as opposed to individual car ownership.[1][2][3][4] However, it raises the issue of job destruction.[5][6]

Several studies highlighted that robo-taxis operated in an AMoD service could be one of the most rapidly adopted applications of autonomous cars at scale and a major mobility solution in the near future, especially in urban areas, providing the majority of vehicle miles in the United States within a decade of their first introduction.[7] Moreover, they could have a very positive impact on road safety, pollution (since these services will most probably use electric cars[8] and reduce the number of vehicles on the road[9]), traffic congestion and parking.[10][11][12][13][14]

Current advances

First operational tests

Several companies are testing robo-taxi services, especially in Asia and in the United-States. In most tests, there are human chauffeurs or "safety drivers" in these test cars to take control back in case of emergency.

In August 2016, MIT spinoff NuTonomy was the first company to make robo-taxis available to the public, starting to offer rides with a fleet of 6 modified Renault Zoes and Mitsubishi i-MiEVs in a limited area in Singapore.[15] NuTonomy later signed three significant partnerships to develop its robo-taxi service: with Grab, Uber’s rival in Southeast Asia, with Groupe PSA, which is supposed to provide the company with Peugeot 3008 SUVs and the last one with Lyft to launch a robo-taxi service in Boston.[16][17][18][19]

In September 2016, Uber started allowing a select group of users in Pittsburgh to order robo-taxis from a fleet of 14 modified Ford Fusions.[20] The test extended to San Francisco with modified Volvo XC90s before being relocated to Tempe, Arizona in February 2017.[21][22] In March 2017, one of Uber’s robo-taxis crashed in self-driving mode in Arizona, which led the company to suspend its tests before resuming them a few days later.[23][24]

In early 2017, Waymo, the Google self-driving car project which became an independent company in 2016, started a large public robo-taxi test in Phoenix using 100 and then 500 more Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans provided by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles as part of a partnership between the two companies.[25][26][27] Waymo also signed a deal with Lyft to collaborate on self-driving cars in May 2017.[28] In November 2017, Waymo revealed it had begun to operate some of its automated vehicles in Arizona without a safety driver behind the wheel.[29]

In August 2017, Cruise Automation, a self-driving startup acquired by General Motors in 2016, launched the beta version of a robo-taxi service for its employees in San Francisco using a fleet of 46 Chevrolet Bolt EVs.[30][31]

Other developments

Many automakers have announced their plans to develop robo-taxis before 2025 and specific partnerships have been signed between automakers, technology providers and service operators. Most significant disclosed information include:

  • Japan’s plan to have an operational robo-taxi service running for the 2020 Olympic Games thanks to the company Robot Taxi, a joint venture between DeNA and ZMP;[32]
  • The startup Zoox announcing in 2015 its ambition to build a robo-taxi from scratch;[33]
  • Delphi being selected in 2016 by the Singapore Land Transport Authority to run robo-taxi tests that are yet to be launched;[34]
  • Daimler AG teaming up with Bosch in 2017 to develop the software for a robo-taxi service by 2025;[35]
  • The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance partnering with Transdev and DeNA to develop robo-taxi services within 10 years from 2017;[36][37]
  • Volkswagen releasing during the 2017 Geneva Motor Show its autonomous concept car Sedric, which could be used as a robo-taxi;[38][39]
  • General Motors and Lyft partnering to deploy a large robo-taxi test fleet in 2018 (following a $500 million investment made by General Motors in Lyft in 2016);[40][41]
  • Ford Motor's plan to develop a robo-taxi by 2021 thanks to several partnerships;[42]
  • Daimler AG partnering with Uber in 2017 to operate a fleet of autonomous Mercedes cars on Uber's network;[43]
  • BMW and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles partnering with Intel and Mobileye to develop robo-taxis by 2021;[44][45]
  • Honda releasing in 2017 an autonomous concept car, NeuV, that aims at being a personal robo-taxi;[46]
  • Baidu partnering with Nvidia to develop autonomous cars and robo-taxis;[47]
  • The United Arab Emirates buying 200 autonomous Teslas to launch a robo-taxi service in Dubai by 2020;[48]
  • Ford Motor investing $1 billion in the startup Argo AI to develop autonomous cars and robo-taxis;[49]
  • Voyage, a spin-out of Udacity’s self-driving car nanodegree program launched in 2017, aiming at creating its own robo-taxi service using retrofitted mass-production cars;[50]
  • Lyft partnering with the startup Drive.ai in 2017 to launch a pilot robo-taxi service in San Francisco Bay Area in the coming years;[51]
  • Lyft and Ford partnering in 2017 to add Ford's self-driving cars to Lyft's ride-hailing network;[52]
  • Lyft’s cars ownership will be fully transferred to company be end of 2025 and 25.9% of the household population[53]
  • Delphi buying the startup NuTonomy for $400 million in 2017;[54]
  • Parsons Corporation announcing a partnership with automated mobility operating system company Renovo.auto to deploy and scale AMoD services;[55]
  • The French startup Navya revealing, in 2017, its robo-taxi, the Autonom Cab, that will first be tested through a partnership with Keolis and RAC and then sold to other companies from Q3 2018;[56]
  • Google leading a $1 billion investment in 2017 in Lyft which could support Waymo's robotaxi strategy;
  • Aptiv and Lyft testing robo-taxis during the 2018 Las Vegas CES;[57]
  • Volkswagen and Hyundai announcing, during the 2018 Las Vegas CES, a partnership with the startup Aurora, founded by one of the co-founders of Google's self-driving cars project, to develop vehicles for Moia, Volkswagen's ride-hailing network;[58]
  • Didi Chuxing partnering with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance and other automakers to explore the future launch of robotaxi services in China.[59]

References

  1. ↑ Higgins, Tim (2017-06-21). "The End of Car Ownership". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  2. ↑ "Why no one will own a driverless car". Business Insider France (in French). Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  3. ↑ Muller, Joann. "The Next Car You Buy Could Be Your Last -- The Robo-Taxi Era Is Closer Than You Think". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  4. ↑ "It Could Be 10 Times Cheaper To Take Electric Robo-Taxis Than To Own A Car By 2030". Fast Company. 2017-05-30. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  5. ↑ Constine, Josh. "Jobless in the self-driving economy | TechCrunch". Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  6. ↑ "Economic Disaster: The Robo-Taxi is Closer to Reality than You Think". AnonHQ. 2017-04-26. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  7. ↑ "Gauging the disruptive power of robo-taxis in autonomous driving". McKinsey & Company. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
  8. ↑ Walker, Jonathan; Johnson, Charlie (2016). "Peak Car Ownership Report - Rocky Mountain Institute". Rocky Mountain Institute. Rocky Mountain Institute. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
  9. ↑ Spieser, Kevin; Treleaven, Kyle; Zhang, Rick; Frazzoli, Emilio; Morton, Daniel; Pavone, Marco (2014). "Toward a Systematic Approach to the Design and Evaluation of Automated Mobility-on-Demand Systems: A Case Study in Singapore". Road Vehicle Automation. Lecture Notes in Mobility. Springer, Cham. pp. 229–245. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-05990-7_20. ISBN 9783319059891.
  10. ↑ "Self-Driving Vehicles, Robo-Taxis, and the Urban Mobility Revolution". www.bcgperspectives.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  11. ↑ "Ten ways autonomous driving could redefine the automotive world". McKinsey & Company. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  12. ↑ "Download". RethinkX. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  13. ↑ Lee, Timothy B. (2015-03-17). "5 reasons self-driving taxis are going to be amazing". Vox. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  14. ↑ "How shared self-driving cars could change city traffic". International Transport Forum. 31 March 2015.
  15. ↑ Vincent, James (2016-08-25). "World's first self-driving taxi trial begins in Singapore". The Verge. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  16. ↑ Russell, Jon. "Uber rival Grab partners with Nutonomy to test self-driving cars in Singapore | TechCrunch". Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  17. ↑ Russell, Jon. "Nutonomy teams up with Peugeot-maker Groupe PSA for self-driving car tests in Singapore | TechCrunch". Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  18. ↑ "Groupe PSA and nuTonomy Form Strategic Partnership to Test Fully Autonomous Vehicles in Singapore | Media Groupe PSA". media.groupe-psa.com. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  19. ↑ Etherington, Darrell. "Lyft and Nutonomy partner to bring first self-driving Lyft service to Boston | TechCrunch". Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  20. ↑ Brewster, Signe. "Uber starts self-driving car pickups in Pittsburgh | TechCrunch". Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  21. ↑ Etherington, Darrell. "Uber deploying self-driving cars from San Francisco pilot in Arizona instead | TechCrunch". Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  22. ↑ Buhr, Sarah; Dickey, Megan Rose. "Self-driving Ubers are now picking people up in Arizona | TechCrunch". Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  23. ↑ Lomas, Natasha. "Uber grounds entire self-driving fleet as it probes Arizona crash | TechCrunch". Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  24. ↑ "Uber Self-Driving Car Tests Resume Three Days After Crash". Bloomberg.com. 2017-03-27. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  25. ↑ Bhuiyan, Johana (2016-12-13). "Google's self-driving arm is spinning out of X and will be called Waymo". Recode. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  26. ↑ Etherington, Darrell. "Waymo begins first public on-demand self-driving service test in Arizona | TechCrunch". Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  27. ↑ "FCA provides Waymo with vans for self-drive tests". Detroit News. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  28. ↑ Isaac, Mike (2017-05-14). "Lyft and Waymo Reach Deal to Collaborate on Self-Driving Cars". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  29. ↑ Laris, Michael (2017-11-07). "Waymo is taking the next step in the driverless car evolution". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  30. ↑ "GM's Robocar Service Drives Employees Around SF for Free". WIRED. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  31. ↑ Etherington, Darrell. "Cruise is running an autonomous ride-hailing service for employees in SF | TechCrunch". Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  32. ↑ Frommer, Dan. "Japan is building a "Robot Taxi" service, with thousands planned for the 2020 Olympics". Quartz. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  33. ↑ "Secretive Robotaxi Startup Zoox Prepares for Real-World Testing". IEEE Spectrum: Technology, Engineering, and Science News. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
  34. ↑ Warren, Tamara (2016-08-01). "Delphi tests self-driving car service in Singapore". The Verge. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  35. ↑ "Mercedes has formed a new alliance to develop robot taxis". Business Insider France (in French). Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  36. ↑ "Nissan-Renault plan driverless ride-hailing service to beat off startup competition". Reuters. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  37. ↑ Korosec, Kirsten. "How Renault-Nissan Is Going to Get You in an Electric Driverless Car". Fortune. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  38. ↑ "Geneva Motor Show 2017: VW Group unveils 'Sedric' driverless pod concept". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  39. ↑ "Geneva Motor Show 2017: VW's Sedric is a robo-taxi vision of the future". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  40. ↑ Reuters. "GM Is Going to Deploy Thousands of Self-Driving Chevy Bolts by 2018". Fortune. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  41. ↑ "GM invests $500 million in Lyft, sets out self-driving car partnership". Reuters. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  42. ↑ Muller, Joann. "Meet The Four Startups Helping Ford Develop A Robo-Taxi By 2021". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  43. ↑ Hawkins, Andrew J. (2017-01-31). "Uber teams up with Mercedes-Benz's parent company on self-driving cars". The Verge. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  44. ↑ Pak, Steve (2016-07-02). "BMW, Intel team up to launch fully-autonomous robot taxis by 2021". Yibada English. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  45. ↑ "Fiat Chrysler joins BMW-Intel self-driving car alliance". Reuters. 16 August 2017. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  46. ↑ "Honda wants its newest concept car to become your personal self-driving taxi". Business Insider France (in French). Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  47. ↑ "Baidu's Vision of Future: Robot Taxis, Chinese Home Gadgets". Bloomberg.com. 2016-09-01. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  48. ↑ "World's first driverless Tesla taxis to arrive in Dubai by 2020". Mail Online. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  49. ↑ Korosec, Kirsten (2017-08-16). "An inside look at Ford's $1 billion bet on Argo AI". The Verge. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  50. ↑ "A new self-driving car startup just spun out of Udacity to challenge Uber with its own autonomous taxi service". Business Insider France (in French). Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  51. ↑ Ohnsman, Alan. "Lyft Partners With Drive.ai To Accelerate On-Demand Driverless Car Push". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-09-13.
  52. ↑ "Ford joins Lyft's expanding group of self-driving partners". Engadget. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  53. ↑ Bajpai, Jitendra (Summer 2016). "Emerging vehicle technologies & the search for urban mobility solutions". Planning and Transport Research. 4: 83–100 – via Taylor & Francis Online.
  54. ↑ Burns, Matt. "Delphi buys Nutonomy for $400 million to scale and deliver autonomous vehicles". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  55. ↑ "Parsons and Renovo Announce Collaboration to Enable Deployment and Scaling of Commercial Automated Mobility on Demand Systems - Parsons". Parsons. 2017-11-16. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  56. ↑ "This $290,000 'Robo-Taxi' Is France's Answer to Waymo". Bloomberg.com. 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  57. ↑ "Aptiv to continue testing robotaxi fleet in Vegas long after CES". Automotive News. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  58. ↑ "America's Hottest Self-Driving Car Startup Just Joined Forces with VW and Hyundai". WIRED. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  59. ↑ "Renault-Nissan and Didi plan self-driving ride service in China". Engadget. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
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