Lyft has just announced plans to partner with three companies in the autonomous vehicle (AV) sector and gradually introduce their technology to its network starting in 2025. The three companies are Mobileye, May Mobility and Nexar.
Mobileye is a pioneer in self-driving technology and has also developed advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Lyft’s partnership with Mobileye will enable vehicles already equipped with Mobileye technology to deliver passengers to their destinations and seamlessly integrate them into the Lyft network. The technology will be available to both small and large fleets on Lyft.
In addition, Lyft and another AV company is teaming up to bring AVs to Atlanta next year. May Mobility’s technology helps these cars drive autonomously and will serve as a proof of concept before Lyft brings them elsewhere. Riders in Atlanta can simply use the app to match up with Lyft’s autonomous Toyota Sienna minivans around town.
Because AV technology is still immature, Lyft is working with Nexar, the world’s first car-to-car network provider, to collect anonymized fleet and market data to improve its autonomous driving technology. Nexar’s smart cameras not only keep drivers safe, but also help fleet operators monitor their drivers. It has many video footages, up to hundreds of millions of hours. Combining this data and Lyft could help improve self-driving cars. In addition to optimizing AV performance, Lyft wants to “jointly contribute to a more complete data set for autonomous research and development.”
The announcement coincides with Lyft’s 2022 announcement that it intends to include more. services are included. That same year, Lyft partnered with Motional to introduce AVs . However, Moving In May, its AVs will not be widely deployed yet.
