, I wrote that the ID Buzz would be the first Volkswagen vehicles to drive autonomously, according to Volkswagen. Last year, we wrote aboutcoming to Austin, Texas. Naturally, these don’t get the attention of Waymo or Tesla Full Self Driving, but there are simply a lot fewer people who think Volkswagen is going to lead the way with mass-market robotaxis — and Volkswagen Group has invested a lot less time and money in this.
Self-driving ID Buzz vans have been testing in Munich and Hamburg since 2021, but they haven’t yet carried passengers. If Volkswagen/MOIA does start trialling such robotaxi operations with passengers later in 2024, it will be stepping into Waymo and Cruise territory. Naturally, as Waymo and Cruise had done, Volkswagen/MOIA will start off with safety drivers present who can intervene if needed, but plans to phase them out quickly.
It should surprise no one that Volkswagen isn’t developing the core tech for this in-house. It is relying heavily on Intel’s subsidiary Mobileye. Previously, Volkswagen also. Some employees from that startup, though, reportedly joined Volkswagen. Volkswagen’s vehicles are now being equipped with “Level 4” autonomous driving technology.
“The logistics market has grown significantly in recent years due to the increasing share of e-commerce,” Volkswagen notes. “Delivery capacity is already one of the biggest challenges the industry is facing due to the driver shortage. Autonomous transport will therefore be a possible solution to ensure long-term delivery capability and participate in market growth.”
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