Lyft is teaming up with a trio of autonomous driving startups as it races to keep up with Uber, which has also struck a number of deals to put robotaxis on its platform.
Lyft is also partnering with robotaxi companies
After Uber announced a bunch of AV deals, Lyft is teaming up with May Mobility, Mobileye, and Nexar.
After Uber announced a bunch of AV deals, Lyft is teaming up with May Mobility, Mobileye, and Nexar.
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State.
Today, the ridehail company said it was teaming up with three different autonomous driving companies: Mobileye, May Mobility, and Nexar. Mobileye and May Mobility plan on deploying autonomous vehicles on Lyft’s network, while Nexar, which makes smart dash cams, will work with Lyft on using its “video telematics to create data-driven solutions that accelerate the deployment of AV technologies.”
Nexar said it has “over 45 petabytes of real-world footage, spanning 200 million miles driven monthly, with over 5 trillion images and over 59 million videos,” which it says creates “a comprehensive and robust dataset for AV technology development.”
Lyft says it’s pioneering what it calls its “Lyft ready” turnkey solution for AV operators in which the company serves as a one-stop shop for a variety of autonomous services, depending on the locale.
“Lyft’s aim is to connect AVs, drivers, riders and partners to create new opportunities for all,” Lyft CEO David Risher said in a statement. “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.”
The announcement was a little threadbare in terms of details. Mobileye, which is owned by Intel, will deploy vehicles equipped with its autonomous technology on Lyft’s platform. Meanwhile, May Mobility will directly deploy its autonomous Toyota Sienna minivans to the Lyft platform in Atlanta starting in 2025.
The ridehail company needs to keep up with the larger Uber in the race to collect AV partners. Uber has already struck deals with Waymo, Cruise, Aurora, Motional, and Avride. Lyft also has preexisting partnerships with Waymo (which has now ended) and Motional. The ridehail company sold off its AV research and development division to a subsidiary of Toyota back in 2021.
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