Mobility
WeRide and Uber Plan Their First Joint Robotaxi Project in Europe
Image: (c) WeRide
The Chinese technology company WeRide and mobility service provider Uber are planning to launch their first commercial robotaxi pilot project in Spain. The service is scheduled to launch later this year in the Madrid region, marking the two companies' first joint market entry into Europe. Rides will be bookable through the Uber app.
The Chinese technology company WeRide and mobility service provider Uber are planning to launch their first commercial robotaxi pilot project in Spain. The service is scheduled to launch later this year in the Madrid region, marking the two companies' first joint market entry into Europe. Rides will be bookable through the Uber app.
At launch, the autonomous vehicles will initially be accompanied by trained safety drivers. However, the long-term plan is a phased rollout of completely driverless robotaxi services. Together with fleet operator AVOMO, WeRide and Uber intend to gradually scale the fleet, expanding to several hundred autonomous vehicles once defined performance targets are met.
The project builds on the partners' previous experience in the Middle East. WeRide and Uber already operate commercial robotaxi services without safety drivers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with a similar launch planned for the Saudi capital of Riyadh. Madrid will now become the first European city where the companies introduce their joint business model to the market.
For operations, WeRide relies on its "WeRide One" platform as well as the "GENESIS" simulation environment, which are used to train and optimize autonomous driving functions.
Implementation is being carried out in partnership with AVOMO, a subsidiary of the Spanish Moove Cars Group that specializes in autonomous vehicle fleets.
The launch in Madrid marks the fourth city within the strategic partnership between WeRide and Uber. The two companies previously announced plans to roll out robotaxi services in a total of 15 cities by 2030. In the long term, tens of thousands of autonomous vehicles are expected to be deployed on public roads worldwide.