Daimler and Bosch
have announced they will launch an autonomous vehicle ride-hailing pilot in San
Jose, California in the second half of 2019. The program will utilize
Mercedes-Benz S-Class vehicles outfitted with Level 4 and level 5 self-driving
capabilities and be operated in the San Carlos and Stevens Creek corridor
between downtown and west San Jose.
Teams from both
Daimler and Bosch are responsible for developing the algorithms that will be
used by the fleet of self-driving S-Class limos. Bosch will be responsible for
providing hardware including sensors, actuators, and control units. Ultimately,
the two companies want to enhance road safety, improve the flow of traffic in
cities, and create an important building block for the way traffic will work in
the future.
Members of the
public will be able to summon rides through a dedicated mobile app from Daimler
Mobility Services. Bosch spokesman Tim Wieland says that the companies have yet
to determine how many vehicles will make up the fleet nor their hours of
operation.
Daimler and Bosch
have been working together on autonomous technologies for a number of years and
are developing the technology in both Stuttgart and Silicon Valley. In the
past, the companies have launched an Automated Valet Parking pilot in Beijing.
Additionally, the duo signed an agreement with Nvidia earlier this year for the
computing company to supply its artificial intelligence platform, dubbed Drive
Pegasus, for future autonomous models.
