Lyft Eyes Robotaxi Launch In 2026

Lyft says it will motorboat a fleet of robotaxis, utilizing self-driving exertion from Intel’s Mobileye, successful Dallas successful “as soon arsenic 2026,” pinch plans to modular to ”thousands” of vehicles successful further markets successful nan months to follow. To awesome its seriousness, nan institution tapped Marubeni, a Japanese conglomerate, to tally fleet operations.

Lyft’s news comes aft Uber dropped caller specifications astir its strategy to characteristic Waymo’s robotaxis connected its level successful Austin and Atlanta later this year. And Tesla precocious shared plans to motorboat a robotaxi activity successful Austin this summer.

Lyft is taking a akin onslaught arsenic Uber, offering its ridehail level to different self-driving developers who want to nexus pinch customers without having to build their ain customer-facing operation. Like Uber, Lyft’s liking is staying arsenic “asset light” arsenic possible, needing different companies to own, operate, and support nan robotaxi fleet for its customers.

Toward that end, Lyft says that Marubeni is simply a world leader successful fleet management, pinch complete 900,000 vehicles worldwide done various subsidiaries and associated ventures. Lyft says nan institution will usage its Flexdrive fleet-management capabilities “to minimize afloat costs of conveyance ownership and maximize fleet utilization.” Marubeni does not look to personification immoderate circumstantial acquisition pinch ridehail aliases autonomous conveyance operations, but arsenic TechCrunch noted, it has worked pinch Mobileye connected on-demand mobility successful Japan.

“They’re aiming to beryllium leaders successful nan emerging AV space, and we look guardant to moving together,” Lyft CEO David Risher said successful a position connected X.

Marubeni will ain nan vehicles that tally pinch Mobileye technology. The Intel-owned institution is simply a supplier of precocious driver assistance exertion to a number of apical automakers, including Ford, Volkswagen, and Toyota.

Lyft is scrambling to support up pinch its main rival Uber successful nan title to summation a toehold successful nan world of autonomous vehicles. Uber has already struck deals pinch Waymo, Cruise (now defunct), Aurora, Motional, and Avride. Meanwhile Lyft has preexisting partnerships pinch Waymo (which has now ended) and Motional. The ridehail institution had thought to create its ain robotaxis, but yet sold disconnected its AV investigation and betterment section to a subsidiary of Toyota backmost successful 2021.