Within three years, some city dwellers may be using their smartphones to summon fully self-driving taxis produced by two of Germany?s biggest automotive mainstays. Daimler and Bosch have announced they?ve formed a new alliance that intends to bring production-ready, fully autonomous vehicles to urban areas ?by the start of the next decade.?
The project combines the vehicle experience of Daimler, Mercedes-Benz?s parent company, with the hardware and systems of Bosch, the world?s largest automotive supplier. Should their combined ambitions reach reality by 2020, the pair could be one of the first entrants to deploy fleets of shared autonomous vehicles.
?In promoting a system for fully automated driverless vehicles for city driving, Bosch and Daimler want to improve traffic flows, enhance road safety, and provide an important building block for the traffic of the future,? Daimler officials said in a statement. Details on where they may first launch aren?t yet available, but Bosch and Daimler will join a crowded field of companies and alliances in the pursuit of shared autonomous fleets. Competitors include ride-hailing service Uber, which has partnered with Volvo and others; Waymo, which receives minivans from Fiat Chrysler for autonomous testing; and General Motors, which invested $500 million in ride-hailing service Lyft.
Mercedes-Benz F 015 Luxury in Motion concept.
For Daimler, the announced ambitions mark its latest foray into a new mobility business. The company alread...