Londoners will soon be able to hail AI-powered vehicles through Uber as the British technology company Wayve prepares for its public launch in a few weeks’ time.
Wayve, the British company founded by two University of Cambridge students, plans to offer its vehicles to paying passengers in the capital “in the next couple of months”, reports The Times.
The company has a partnership with Uber, meaning the vehicles can be booked via the app in the same way as a regular taxi. Customers are now able to express their interest in the service, ready for its launch.
A human safety driver will be behind the wheel ready to take control if there are any issues on the journey.
Wayve are aiming to have their robotaxi fleets to be completely ready for when the British government passes regulations that give the go-ahead for fully autonomous cars., which is expected in the second half of this year.
The cars available will be a fleet of bright blue all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-e, equipped with surround cameras and radar. Its “AV2.0” technology, or AI brain, learns as it goes, meaning engineers do not have to write code for every eventuality, unlike other systems.
Kaity Fischer, who leads Wayve’s robotaxi business, said:
“We’re looking forward to launching in London in the next couple of months. We’re ready to go, and can’t wait to get the public into our vehicles to experience Wayve technology first-hand.”
She previously said that London’s potholes, speed bumps, cyclists, roundabouts, road works, one-way systems, narrow thoroughfares and unpredictable weather made it a particularly good training ground for the Wayve car.
“London is one of the most challenging cities in the world, compared to San Francisco, where we see the majority of global autonomous vehicle deployments,” she said. “For example, London has more than 10 times the number of vulnerable road users. So more than 10 times the cyclists, more than 10 times the pedestrians than San Francisco. We have nearly 20 times more roadworks.”
The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said the technology had “the potential to transform how people travel” by “reducing road danger while driving growth and creating high-skilled jobs across the UK”.
She added: “Wayve is a British success story and this partnership with Uber is a welcome vote of confidence in their technology.”
(Picture: Wayve/Uber)
