Mobileye, Volkswagen plan autonomous ride-hailing service for Israel

Volkswagen and Intel’s Mobileye are preparing to present Israel’s first ride-hailing service using self-driving cars from early next year.

The two companies are establishing a joint venture with Israeli car importer Champion Motors, under that Volkswagen will give the electric vehicles and Mobileye its autonomous technology for driving, the companies stated on Monday.

The service, named “Mobility-as-a-Service”, is expected to be commercialized by 2022, with Champion Motors operating the fleet operations and control center.

The Israeli government, which has agreed with the proposal, will also back it by sharing necessary infrastructure and traffic data, the companies stated.

Automakers are collaborating tech companies to gain a head start in driverless technology, which is going to upend the transportation industry.

Honda Motor declared an investment of $2.75 billion in General Motors’ Cruise self-driving vehicle unit, to jointly contribute into autonomous vehicles for deployment in ride services fleets across the world.