Intel subsidiaries Mobileye and Moovit start Robotaxi service in Germany with Sixt
Under the brand Moovit-AV, Intel subsidiary Mobileye is cooperating with the German rental professional Sixt and the Israeli traffic big data startup Moovit. The result is a robot taxi service in Munich.
In the course of 2022 there will be a new ride-hailing service in Munich. It is operated operationally by Sixt, but is based on the software of the Intel subsidiaries Mobileye and Moovit and is to be called Moovit-AV (AV: autonomous vehicle). On the occasion of the International Motor Show IAA 2021, Intel has now presented the associated Robotaxi. It is an autonomously driving car with space for up to six passengers.
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Moovit-AV’s Robotaxi has all the technologies on board that autonomous driving has to offer
The technical basis for the Moovit-AV Robotaxi is the self-propelled system “Mobileye Drive” in the current maximum expansion stage. Mobileye Drive is a combination of software and hardware in the form of a level 4 control device that uses eight SoCs (System-on-a-Chip) from the in-house EyeQ-5 series.
That is the heart of the system. (Image: Intel Mobileye)
While Mobileye offers products that are purely image-based and others that are purely lidar-based, all functions are used in the new Robotaxi. The vehicle detects its surroundings via cameras, radar and lidar sensors. The big data traffic maps from Moovit allow additional analysis of real-time traffic and give the software tips on the resulting driving behavior. And Mobileye’s mathematical model of “Responsibility-Sensitive Safety” is intended to ensure safety behavior based on human decision-making processes.
System suitable for both passenger and freight traffic
According to Mobileye, the system has been designed so that it can be used in a variety of vehicle types for the transport of goods and people. For example, Mobileye is planning a cooperation with Schaeffler to develop a flexible self-driving vehicle platform that can be used to build autonomous shuttles. In addition, the Mobileye Drive should be in autonomous Udelv transporter for door-to-door delivery operations. Partnerships with Transdev and Lohr, as part of which autonomous shuttles are to be used in France and Germany.
Mobileye can be used flexibly. (Image: Intel Mobileye)
Robotaxis also in Tel Aviv, South Korea and – possibly – New York
In addition to Munich, there will also be a robot taxi service in cooperation with VW in Tel Aviv, Israel, and in South Korea. Plans to test the robotic taxis in the US metropolis of New York, however, already encounter regulatory obstacles before they are introduced, which the local legislators are apparently building up in a targeted manner with knowledge of the Mobileye plans.
In Munich, robotic taxis will not drive completely autonomously. There is no legal framework for this. This is why Moovit-AV will deploy security drivers who are always ready to monitor the vehicles behind the wheel. “Early driver tests” are to take place in Munich in early 2022. However, commercial operation can only start once all the necessary permits have been received from the German authorities.
