As part of its expansion of the robotaxi business, Uber is offering vehicle financing solutions to its partners. This is seen as a strategic shift aimed at securing control over the operational infrastructure of the overall autonomous driving ecosystem, rather than remaining merely a ride-hailing intermediary platform.
On the 23rd (local time), Uber announced the launch of "Uber Autonomous Solutions."
Uber Autonomous Solutions provides "AV Mission Control" software, which supports insurance and roadside assistance services and enables autonomous vehicle operators to manage vehicles in real time and take response measures when problems such as traffic accidents occur. It also offers fleet financing solutions that help partners pay for the cost of robotaxis deployed on the Uber network.
Andrew Macdonald, Uber's Chief Operating Officer (COO), said that the technological obstacles that have "largely held back" autonomous vehicles for most of the past decade have been "mostly resolved," and added, "What will determine the success or failure of autonomy globally is whether it can be commercialized." He went on to say, "Uber will be the company that makes autonomy commercially real."
The expansion of the robotaxi business can be seen as Uber's strategy to position itself as a platform operator responsible for the operational infrastructure in the autonomous driving ecosystem. As the era of autonomous driving becomes full-fledged, the主? of vehicle operation will shift from humans to artificial intelligence (AI) and automakers. There is also the possibility that autonomous driving companies will connect directly with passengers through their own apps. In that case, concerns have been raised that the position of intermediary platforms like Uber could be weakened. The Financial Times (FT) reported that investor concerns about Uber's role in the autonomous era are spreading. Uber shares are down more than 10% this year.
To accelerate the deployment of robotaxis, Uber has been pursuing a multifaceted strategy. In the United States, it has signed more than 12 partnerships, including with Alphabet's Waymo, and in Asia and the Middle East, with China's Baidu. It has invested in several autonomous driving startups, including Wayve, a UK-based autonomous driving company. In addition, it has signed multi-billion-dollar agreements with operators and autonomous driving developers and ordered tens of thousands of vehicles.
On the back of this aggressive investment, Uber plans to deploy autonomous vehicles in 15 cities worldwide, including London in the United Kingdom, Los Angeles in the United States, and Hong Kong, by the end of this year. The new autonomous solutions division will also provide mapping data and data collection services to support the training of AI models that underpin robotaxis. This is an extension of Uber's AI solutions business.
Separate from its autonomous driving strategy, Uber is also accelerating its expansion across the broader mobility ecosystem. On the same day, Uber announced that it would acquire SpotHero, a North American parking reservation platform. This is interpreted as a strategy to expand its service domain beyond mobility and delivery. Uber expects the acquisition to be completed within the first half of this year.
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