German startup Vay has recently introduced its first commercial remote driving service in Las Vegas. This innovative service utilizes “teledrivers,” who remotely deliver and collect electric short-term rental cars for customers in the city. Unlike autonomous vehicles, Vay’s service relies on human drivers operating the cars from a remote location.
Vay CEO Thomas von der Ohe stated that the company’s vehicle fleet is expected to reach the “low double digits” during the first quarter. Vay has already raised approximately $110 million from investors, including Kinnevik, Coatue, and Eurazeo. The startup has conducted tests in Europe and the United States with remote drivers and no human presence behind the wheel.
In the future, Vay plans to gradually introduce autonomous features, leveraging the cameras installed in their vehicles rather than the expensive lidar and radar technology used by many autonomous vehicle developers. Von der Ohe believes that there will be a decade or two of human-machine interaction before fully autonomous driving becomes widespread, with remote driving always playing a part.
Von der Ohe also mentioned that Vay sees a “massive use case” for remote driving functions and is currently in talks with automakers. They are exploring the possibility of integrating remote valet and other services into vehicles. These functions could include a tele-valet that parks the car for the driver, as well as the option for a teledriver to safely transport individuals in their own vehicle after consuming alcohol.
While Vay’s entry into the market is a significant step forward in the field of remote driving, it comes at a challenging time for autonomous vehicle developers. Regulatory scrutiny has intensified following an accident involving a pedestrian and a vehicle from General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicle unit. As the industry wrestles with these challenges, Vay aims to carve out a niche in the market by providing practical and efficient remote driving solutions.
The source of the article is from the blog japan-pc.jp