Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger and SIXT SE Co-CEO Alexander Sixt announced during a keynote at IAA Mobility that the two organisations will be collaborating to begin offering autonomous ride-hailing services in Munich next year.
The collaboration between Intel subsidiary Mobileye and SIXT, a leading international provider of mobility services headquartered in Germany, also aspires to scale driverless ride-sharing services across Germany and other European countries later this decade.
Riders will be able to access the service via the Moovit app as well as the SIXT app. The autonomous robotaxi offering will be included in SIXT’s holistic mobility platform ONE, which combines ride hailing as well as car rental, car sharing and car subscriptions in just one app. By integrating the services of cooperation partners like Mobileye, the ONE mobility platform gives SIXT customers worldwide access to more than 200,000 vehicles, 1,500 cooperation partners, around 1.5 million drivers and soon even robotaxi services.
The autonomous robotaxi was demonstrated during Alexander Sixt’s keynote walk-on. Mobileye also unveiled the vehicles – branded with MoovitAV and SIXT – that will be produced in volume and used for the robotaxi service. It is the first time Mobileye has publicly displayed its fully integrated self-driving system, known as Mobileye Drive, in a vehicle that will be used for commercial, driverless ride-hailing services.
A recent passed autonomous vehicle (AV) law permits driverless vehicles on German roads, allowing Mobileye robotaxis to begin early-rider testing on Munich streets in 2022. The fleet will thereafter move from test to commercial operations upon regulatory approval.
“Germany has shown global leadership toward a future of autonomous mobility by expediting crucial AV legislation,” Gelsinger said. “Our ability to begin robotaxi operations in Munich next year would not be possible without this new law.”
The collaboration with SIXT is the first known commercial robotaxi service between a tech supplier and a mobility services provider.
“With strong logistics and operational partners like SIXT, Mobileye can bring the promise of full autonomy to life in cities around the world,” said Mobileye CEO Prof Amnon Shashua. “We’re delighted that Germany is a first mover.”
Sixt added: “This strategic collaboration is the next step in expanding our integrated mobility platform ONE and underlines our company’s evolution towards becoming the industry’s leading provider of innovative and digital premium mobility. We are delighted to leverage the remarkable technology leadership of Mobileye to bring driverless mobility to customers in Germany and beyond.”
Mobileye will own the robotaxi fleet used in the Munich service, while SIXT will draw upon its established expertise in providing, maintaining and operating the fleet. The vehicles will include the MoovitAV service and SIXT branding once the service launches in Munich, to make it easy for customers to distinguish between traditional ride-hailing and the autonomous fleet vehicles.
