New attempt by Uber for autonomous taxis with Stellantis, Nvidia and Foxconn
Uber wants to save human drivers. Nvidia and Foxconn are to make Stellantis cars self-driving.
(Image: MOZCO Mateusz Szymanski/Shutterstock.com)
The automaker Stellantis is looking for ways out of its crisis. The group sees an opportunity in the market for fleets of autonomous vehicles. To this end, it is entering into a partnership with Foxconn, Nvidia, and the transport broker Uber. The latter initially wants to operate 5,000 self-driving Stellantis cars. A van and a small car are to roll off the assembly line starting in 2028.
Stellantis announced this on Wednesday announced on Wednesday. While it produces the motor vehicles itself, Foxconn will take care of installing the electronics necessary for autonomous operation. Nvidia is contributing its Drive AGX Hyperion 10 self-driving architecture, which is based on its in-house DriveOS operating system. The Drive AV software is intended to make the vehicles self-driving at Level 4. This is one level below full autonomy, as we know it from the TV series Knight Rider.
“Level 4 is not just a milestone for the automotive industry; it is a major leap in AI performance,” says Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang. “The vehicle becomes a robot that sees, perceives, plans, and drives with superhuman precision.”
Not exclusive
However, there is currently only a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding. It is intended to lay the framework for future contracts to be concluded. Among other things, the conditions for the development of the necessary technology, licenses, manufacturing of the vehicles, and their procurement are to be clarified. One thing is certain: the partnership is not exclusive; each of the four corporations is allowed to cooperate with external parties in parallel.
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Stellantis is already cooperating with the Chinese self-driving company Pony.ai, which intends to put robotaxis on European roads. Stellantis was formed in 2001 through the merger of the French PSA Group with the Italian-American Fiat Chrysler group. It is the fifth-largest automaker in the world and comprises 14 brands, from Abarth to Vauxhall. Business in North America has been weakening for some time.
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