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Lyft to Launch Robotaxi Fleet in Dallas by 2026
Lyft has announced ambitious plans to introduce a fleet of robotaxis equipped with self-driving technology from Intel’s Mobileye. The company aims to roll out these autonomous vehicles in Dallas “as soon as 2026,” with aspirations to expand to “thousands” of vehicles in various markets soon after. To facilitate this initiative, Lyft has partnered with Marubeni, a well-established Japanese conglomerate, tasked with overseeing the robotaxi fleet operations.
This development follows closely behind Uber’s recent announcements regarding its collaboration with Waymo to incorporate robotaxis into its service in Austin and Atlanta later this year. Additionally, Tesla has revealed plans to debut its own robotaxi service in Austin during the upcoming summer months.
In a strategic move reminiscent of Uber’s approach, Lyft intends to utilize its ride-hailing platform to provide access for various self-driving technology developers. This setup allows these companies to connect with riders without the burden of establishing their own customer-facing operations. Lyft, similar to Uber, is primarily focused on maintaining an “asset-light” business model, which enables it to rely on partnerships for the ownership, operation, and maintenance of the autonomous vehicle fleet for its users.
Lyft’s partnership with Marubeni is noteworthy, as the latter boasts an impressive portfolio in fleet management, with over 900,000 vehicles under its operation globally through a variety of subsidiaries and joint ventures. Lyft anticipates leveraging Marubeni’s Flexdrive capabilities to “minimize total cost of vehicle ownership and maximize fleet utilization.” Although Marubeni lacks direct experience in ride-hailing or self-driving vehicle operations, it has previously collaborated with Mobileye on mobility solutions in Japan, as highlighted by TechCrunch.
Commenting on the collaboration, Lyft CEO David Risher expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, “They’re aiming to be leaders in the emerging AV space, and we look forward to working together.” Marubeni is set to take ownership of the vehicles operating with Mobileye’s technology, which is recognized for supplying advanced driver assistance systems to several leading automobile manufacturers, including Ford, Volkswagen, and Toyota.
Source
www.theverge.com