Munich-based car rental and ride-hailing firm Sixt has announced plans to pilot a new driverless “robotaxi” service in the Bavarian capital next year.
A collaboration with Intel subsidiary Mobileye will see an autonomous ride-hailing service launched in 2022, with plans to scale the service across Germany and other European countries later this decade.
Sixt said that the early-rider testing pilot had been made possible by a recently enacted autonomous vehicle law permitting driverless vehicles on German roads, adding that the fleet would move from test to commercial operations “upon regulatory approval”.
Reuters reports that “The German law, passed in May, is the first federal law worldwide to permit autonomous driving in regular traffic, albeit only in set areas and with the requirement that the vehicle be overseen by a human”.
Customers will be able to hail the MoovitAV and Sixt-branded vehicles – which will use the Mobileye Drive integrated self-driving system – through either of the brand’s apps.
Commenting on the news Alexander Sixt, Co-CEO of Sixt SE, said:
“This strategic collaboration is the next step in expanding our integrated mobility platform ONE and underlines our company’s evolution towards becoming the industry’s leading provider of innovative and digital premium mobility.
“We are delighted to leverage the remarkable technology leadership of Mobileye to bring driverless mobility to customers in Germany and beyond.”
