The partnership between Uber and Wayve aimed at introducing autonomous rides in London has taken a step forward after Transport for London (TfL) issued private transportation licenses for a number of autonomous, fully electric Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles from Wayve, Automotive World reports. These licenses fulfill the "triple control" requirement for private transportation, according to which the operator, driver and vehicle must have licenses issued by the same authority.
Vehicles equipped with the Wayve AI Driver system, all-round view cameras and radar will operate in accordance with the state Code of Practice for Testing Autonomous Vehicles (AV Trialling Code of Practice) and an Uber operator license issued by TfL, and each vehicle will have a qualified driver with a TfL license on board who will monitor each ride. Over the past eight weeks, more than 100,000 Londoners have signed up for Uber's list of interested users, and selected passengers will receive early access this summer even before the full launch of the service.
Wayve's AI-driven approach (known as AV2. 0) goes beyond traditional autonomous vehicle systems relying on HD maps or geofences, and instead learns from its own experience to adapt to new roads. The technology, which has been undergoing training on UK roads since 2018, has been tested in more than 500 cities around the world, and Uber says it is currently partnering with more than 30 autonomous vehicle partners in a hybrid network of vehicles and drivers.
