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Robotaxis are on the roads of London, marking Uber's biggest real-world challenge in a busy city with dense layouts and numerous roundabouts. This week, Uber rolled out 15 autonomous Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles powered by artificial intelligence in a partnership with British technology company Wayve. As of now, a supervisor must remain on board because London regulators do not allow full autonomy yet.
While the robotaxis can travel anywhere within London, they cannot yet make trips to the airport. The project faces challenges due to London's complex infrastructure, including many roundabouts, a high volume of cyclists and pedestrians, and extensive roadwork. Kendall, a representative from Wayve and Uber, noted that London's environment requires a robust AI system capable of handling diverse scenarios.
"There's more than 10 times more cyclists and pedestrians than in cities like San Francisco," Kendall said. "More than 10 times the amount of roadwork, so it's just a constantly busy and evolving city." Wayve's investor base includes Nvidia and Microsoft, and its AI differs from Waymo's by not requiring pre-mapping of cities. Instead, it trains on millions of hours of global driving experience to adapt to new, unmapped locations.
Wayve has tested its vehicles in over 500 cities worldwide. A CBS News test revealed the robotaxi struggled in narrow passages, requiring a supervisor to take over. Uber's autonomous mobility head, Sarfraz Maredia, stated that robotaxis do not pose an immediate risk to black cab drivers, as the market is growing and autonomous vehicles (AVs) will likely contribute to market expansion.
London's black cab driver population has declined from about 25,000 in 2010 to around 16,000 today.
Source: CBS News
