Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

taxi

Pony.ai becomes ‘first’ autonomous driving company to receive taxi license in China

by Leave a Comment

Pony.ai, an autonomous driving technology company, claims it has become the “first and only autonomous driving company to obtain a taxi license in China”.

Pony.ai was awarded a permit to operate 100 autonomous vehicles as traditional taxis in Nansha, Guangzhou.

In May, Pony.ai will start charging fares in the entire 800 square kilometers of Nansha with 100 robotaxis and intends to gradually expand the scale and scope of service to other areas of Guangzhou to benefit more residents. [Read more…] about Pony.ai becomes ‘first’ autonomous driving company to receive taxi license in China

Air taxi winners: Watch orders not investment, says IDTechEx

by Leave a Comment

Air taxi operators are unfazed by the 200 or so organizations designing vertical take-off electric aircraft. The IDTechEx report with the big picture is, Manned Electric Aircraft: Smart City and Regional 2021-2041.

Air taxi operators have placed large orders with a company that models itself on Tesla, entirely making born-electric, conventional take-off, fixed-wing aircraft.

Using extreme lightweighting, efficiency, and aerodynamics, Bye Aerospace has over $250 million of orders for two and four-seaters from air taxi operators and flying schools. It spent only $24 million to have certifiable demonstrators aloft.

Bye is so inundated with orders it has just doubled its prices because the aircraft still cost far less per mile than the polluting traditional equivalents. In the US, 11,000 of those are approaching 50 years old and illegality. Bye deliveries start from 2022. [Read more…] about Air taxi winners: Watch orders not investment, says IDTechEx

AutoX launches driverless taxi service in China

by Leave a Comment

Driverless car startup AutoX has launched its RoboTaxi ride-hailing service in Shanghai, China to the general public for the first time, marking a transit milestone for China’s largest city.

AutoX RoboTaxis can be booked through Alibaba’s AutoNavi smartphone app, similar to other ride-hailing services.

AutoX, which has raised at least $160 million to date, according to Crunchbase, has also struck up a strategic partnership with Letzgo, a major taxi fleet operations company headquartered in Shanghai. [Read more…] about AutoX launches driverless taxi service in China

Robo taxis to accelerate autonomous public transportation

by Leave a Comment

The race to advance and autonomous mobility and transportation is heating up. In recent years, the world has witnessed a revolution in the taxi industry with the emergence of ride-booking applications. 

Following the trend, various existing firms have updated their offerings by presenting new taxi booking applications. However, this hasn’t been enough for them.

The advent of artificial intelligence has offered taxi companies the opportunity to bring on new and innovative ideas. One such an innovative idea has turned to be robotic taxis, or robo taxis, the next step of innovation for public transport. [Read more…] about Robo taxis to accelerate autonomous public transportation

Hanwha Systems gearing up to enter air taxi market

by Leave a Comment

Hanwha Systems is making a $25 million investment in US air taxi startup Overair, and has received approval from the relevant authorities for the move.

Hanwha Systems and Overair research and development are planning to co-develop and bring the “Butterfly” to the US air-taxi market by the year 2025.

In early December of 2019, Youn-Chul Kim, CEO of Hanwha Systems, said that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) approved Hanwha Systems’ $25 million investment in Overair (previously K4 Aeronautics), a leading US air-taxi startup. [Read more…] about Hanwha Systems gearing up to enter air taxi market

Lilium launches air taxi. Flying cars could take to the skies next

by

Flying cars have been around a long time, but only as test vehicles, often engineered and built by tinkerers who may have been seen as somewhat eccentric for even dreaming up such a machine.

But in the past couple of years, these “eccentric tinkerers” have been usurped by corporate bigwigs who maybe see a big market for the technology.

In the most recent development, a German company called Lilium has completed a successful test flight with its all-electric flying car.

[Read more…] about Lilium launches air taxi. Flying cars could take to the skies next

ZMP partners with Tokyo taxi operator to launch self-driving cabs for 2020 Olympics

by

ZMP’s RoboCar MiniVan, a self-driving Toyota Estima Hybrid car
A TV camerawoman films a laser scanner on ZMP’s RoboCar MiniVan, a self-driving Toyota Estima Hybrid car, after a joint news conference between ZMP and Hinomaru Kotsu in Tokyo, Japan June 15, 2017. Reuters / Toru Hanai

Japanese robotics maker ZMP has partnered with a taxi operator in Tokyo, as part of its plans to launch a self-driving taxi in the city in time for the 2020 Olympics, said CEO Hisashi Taniguchi.

Japan’s taxi industry, faced with a labour crunch due to an ageing population, has been looking at new technologies to drive growth. The sector may also have to deal with more competition in the future if the government allows ride-sharing services such as Uber to operate across the country.

“Autonomous taxis and the taxi industry can grow and prosper together,” Taniguchi told reporters, after announcing ZMP’s partnership with Hinomaru Kotsu.  [Read more…] about ZMP partners with Tokyo taxi operator to launch self-driving cabs for 2020 Olympics

nuTonomy raises $16m funding to develop self-driving car software

by

Startup company nuTonomy has raised $16 million is initial funding and plans to offer world’s first fully autonomous taxi service in 2018.

nuTonomy, a developer of software for self-driving cars, says it has completed its $16m Series A funding led by Highland Capital Partners.

The funding included significant participation from prior investors Fontinalis Partners and Signal Ventures. In Singapore, where nuTonomy has strong governmental support, the round included participation from EDBI, the dedicated corporate investment arm of the Singapore Economic Development Board. Samsung Ventures also participated in the Series A round.  [Read more…] about nuTonomy raises $16m funding to develop self-driving car software