Global transportation company Uber Technologies received a $500m investment from Toyota Motor Corporation.
The two companies have also signed an expanded collaboration deal with the aim of advancing and bringing to market autonomous ride-sharing as a mobility service at scale.
To do this, technology from each company will be integrated into purpose-built Toyota vehicles to be deployed on Uber’s ride-sharing network.
Uber and Toyota anticipate that the mass-produced autonomous vehicles will be owned and operated by mutually agreed upon third party autonomous fleet operators.
The initial “Autono-MaaS” (autonomous-mobility as a service) fleet will be based on Toyota’s Sienna Minivan platform. Uber’s Autonomous Driving System and the Toyota Guardian automated safety support system will both be integrated into the Autono-MaaS vehicles. Toyota will also utilize its Mobility Services Platform (MSPF), its core information infrastructure for connected vehicles.
Pilot-scale deployments will begin on the Uber ride-sharing network in 2021.
Toyota’s investment in Uber and the proposed collaboration are subject to standard regulatory approvals.
FinSMEs
28/08/2018