Uber Technologies has launched Uber Autonomous Solutions, a comprehensive suite of services and capabilities designed to help partners build and successfully commercialize autonomous vehicles in multiple markets around the world.
“Autonomous technology has remarkable potential to make transportation safer and more affordable,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. “Innovation in autonomy is moving quickly, but meaningful commercialization will take much longer. For more than a decade, Uber has helped set the standard for on-demand mobility, and built the capabilities that make ‘push a button and get a ride’ work at global scale. With Uber Autonomous Solutions, we’re externalizing these hard-won competencies for our partners.”
Uber Autonomous Solutions provides the capabilities required for end-to-end commercialization, reducing cost per mile while increasing speed to market. It also brings comprehensive product development and support capabilities, designed to make autonomous trips more reliable for users and more economical for operators.
“AV tech teams should be able to focus on what they do best: building software that can safely power an autonomous world,” added Sarfraz Maredia, global head of autonomous mobility and delivery. “Uber Autonomous Solutions is designed to complement their strengths by providing operational depth wherever they need it –whether that’s demand generation, rider experience, customer support or managing the day-to-day realities of running a real-world fleet. When partners plug into Uber’s network, they can scale more efficiently, operate more reliably and move faster.”
Uber Autonomous Solutions is organized across three areas: infrastructure, user experience and fleet operations.
Infrastructure solutions
Uber provides the digital and physical foundations – combining data, mapping, regulatory access and financing – to help partners deploy autonomy smoothly at scale.
The company’s data-collection fleet has captured millions of miles of easily searchable multisensor data across the US and Europe. Working closely with engineers from Uber AV Labs, and building on partnerships such as its Data Factory with Nvidia, the company says it helps AV partners train their models and scale toward Level 4 autonomy much more quickly.
According to Uber, its dynamic geospatial data helps AV partners refine pickups, routing and ETAs with real-world precision. Custom APIs reportedly help ensure AVs are always in the right place at the right time, even as operational design domains evolve. The company is also leveraging existing relationships to work directly with high-traffic venues, such as the Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, to optimize venues appropriately for human- and AV-driven rideshare.
User experience solutions
Uber has developed an in-car AV-first software interface that it says puts riders in control, with seamless access to sound, temperature and rider assistance. Designed to work across different hardware configurations and deployments, this creates a consistent user experience for riders. Launching later this year, the Nuro-Lucid-Uber robotaxi will be the first AV to bring this experience to its in-car tablets, integrating Nuro’s real-time driving visualization.
Fleet operations solutions
Uber’s fleet intelligence and management system provides operators with a real-time view of every vehicle, translating multiple AV status indicators into actionable fleet insights. The system continuously processes telemetry to determine vehicle status, supports decision-making through an orchestration layer, and enforces command authority while maintaining a full supply-history ledger for auditability.
Uber offers real-time on-road support for riders when AVs encounter issues, monitoring situations and enabling live communication with the rider and the autonomous driving system. The company is also developing a new remote assistance platform, built on its end-to-end support capabilities, featuring a custom agent console that equips operators with the information and tools needed to assess AV status and take appropriate action.
In related news, CharterUP partners with Holon to deliver scalable autonomous mobility solutions