Self-driving technology integrator Aptiv Autonomous Mobility has reached a major milestone in Las Vegas, Nevada, after it completed 50,000 commercial robotaxi rides in partnership with Lyft.
Aptiv made the robotaxi service available to paying customers in May 2018, following a trial conducted at CES 2018 at the beginning of the year. The fleet of 30 modified BMW 5 Series sedans have so far received an approval rating of 4.97 out of 5 stars, with 92% of riders saying they felt “very safe” or “extremely safe” during their rides. Each taxi has a safety operator on board to take over in the event of an incident.
“Our work in Las Vegas is proof positive that Aptiv is delivering on our mission to provide safer, greener and more connected mobility solutions,” said Karl Iagnemma, president, Aptiv. “Through our work with the State of Nevada, City of Las Vegas, Clark County, and Regional Transportation Commission, we’ve grown our commercial operation to provide access to over 2,100 hotels, entertainment venues, restaurants and popular destinations throughout the Las Vegas Strip and downtown area, including City Hall and the Las Vegas Convention Center.
“Aptiv research has shown that our robotaxis can provide dependable and convenient transportation in urban areas, while significantly reducing the number of cars on the road. This is made possible through our robotaxi fleet’s reliance on a centralized network, which enables efficient management of passenger demand and vehicle routing. This results in fewer vehicles transporting more people, with reduced wait times for riders.”
According to Aptiv, each autonomous vehicle is fitted with six electronically scanning radars (ESR); four short-range radars (SRR); four short-range lidars; five long-range lidars; one trifocal camera; one traffic light camera; two GPS antennas; a dedicated short-range communications antenna (DSRC); two computer and software stacks for redundancy and safety; plus a ControlTec CT-Edge data communications system.