Volkswagen is teaming up with Uber to field what eventually could be thousands of fully driverless ID.Buzz microbuses. The first should show up on Los Angeles streets next year. Headlight.News has more.
The American version of the ID.Buzz will be modified by Uber to operate without a driver.
It was the classic Hippie-era “people-mover,” so, it might seem, the modern-day incarnation of the Volkswagen microbus will be serving a similar, albeit much more high-tech, use in the years to come.
Volkswagen Group of America has inked a deal with Uber Technologies that will eventually see thousands of self-driving ID.Buzz EVs roaming the streets of the U.S.
“Volkswagen believes that mobility is transformational. Our partnership with Uber is the next step for us to realize this vision and unleash the potential of autonomous mobility,” said Kjell Gruner, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America.
Robocabs are coming
Waymo currently dominates the robocab field.
The era of the robocab is on its way – despite some setbacks. General Motors recently deep-sixed its San Francisco-based Cruise subsidiary after a near fatal October 2023 crash. And Lyft abandoned its own efforts several years ago.
But Waymo now has more than 700 robocabs operating in San Francisco, Los Angeles and several other cities. And Tesla plans to introduce its own CyberCab this year, though specific roll-out plans have yet to be revealed.
The Uber-VW relationship marks the second U-turn by the nation’s largest ride-sharing service. Uber also backed off of its big autonomous vehicle push after a fatal crash in Arizona several years ago. But, with Waymo threatening to challenge it in many key markets – undercutting its operating costs, in the process – Uber is getting back in the game.
The plan
A big test for Tesla and Musk will come with the promised launch of the self-driving CyberCab scheduled for 2026.
“This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the advancement of autonomous mobility, and highlights both Volkswagen’s and Uber’s shared dedication to building the future of transportation,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. In the past, Uber officials said they wanted to go fully autonomous because that would eliminate the most costly part of their operation: the human driver.
Before then, Uber said, it will this year begin fleet testing converted ID.Buzz vans. To minimize risks, it will have human operators on board, ready to take control in an emergency.
If all goes well, it will launch operations in Los Angeles, “late next year,” said Khosrowshahi. But the long-term goal is to eventually operate them “within multiple U.S. markets over the next decade,” according to an Uber statement.
More Autonomous Driving News
- Trump Administration Eases Driverless Development Rules
- Auto Industry Preps for Autonomous Driving
- GM Halts Cruise Robocab Program
Trump weighs in
“Volkswagen is not just a car manufacturer — we are shaping the future of mobility, and our collaboration with Uber accelerates that vision,” Christian Senger, CEO of Volkswagen Autonomous Mobility, said in a statement.
VW is far from the only manufacturer convinced that autonomous vehicles will be a big part of future mobility. While GM scrapped Cruise, it transferred the subsidiary’s intellectual in-house where it will be used, the company said, to take the semi-autonomous Super Cruise to the next level.
Mercedes-Benz is now selling its Drive Pilot technology in Europe, as well as California, the system allowing full hands-free operation, albeit at relatively low speeds.
As Headlight.News reported Monday, the Trump administration has now eased some of the regulations covering the development and testing of autonomous vehicles – though some safety groups have raised flags, concerned about the lifting of rules requiring manufacturers to report certain types of crashes and other system failures.
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