Wayve and Uber Partner: Are We Still Roads Away From Fully Autonomous Driving?

Key Takeaways

• Uber is partnering with Wayve. 
• In the future, Wayve envisions its self-driving vehicles as part of Uber’s taxi networks.
• The development of autonomous vehicles has slowed down significantly due to multiple hurdles.

Uber and UK AI self-driving software specialist Wayve announced a strategic partnership on Friday, Aug. 30, to accelerate its autonomous vehicle projects and eventually deploy Level 4 self-driving vehicles in Uber’s taxi network. 

Uber Partners With Wayve

The funding from Uber will help Wayve accelerate its work with global manufacturers to enhance Level 2 and Level 3 automated driving capabilities. 

Wayve develops mapless Embodied AI products for automated vehicles, allowing self-driving cars to operate without geofenced limits. The company is backed by large-scale investors, including Japan’s SoftBank Group and Nvidia.

The UK-based company said it “envisions future Wayve-powered self-driving vehicles being made available on the Uber network in multiple markets around the world.” This would bring Wayve’s technology to over 150 million monthly global users.

Alex Kendall, co-founder and CEO of Wayve, said ,”I’m excited to be teaming up with Uber, the largest mobility network in the world, to massively ramp up our AI’s fleet learning, ensuring our AV technology is safe and ready for global deployment across Uber’s network. Together, we’re excited to work with Automotive OEMs to bring autonomous driving technologies to consumers sooner.”

Uber Offers Autonomous Rides With Cruise

Uber has been making considerable investments in the autonomous vehicle industry. 

Last week, Uber announced that General Motors’ Cruise robotaxis would join the company’s fleet in 2025. The partnership marked a change in direction for Cruise, which was once set to rival Uber in the space. 

In 2023, Cruise had its California license suspended after one of its robotaxis dragged a pedestrian who had been struck by a human-driven car. 

The Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission opened an investigation into the company following the incident.

Fully Autonomous Driving Still Years Away

While significant progress has been made in self-driving cars, fully autonomous cars are still far from becoming a reality due to a combination of technical, regulatory, and societal challenges.

While impressive, the technology itself struggles with handling complex and unpredictable real-world scenarios, such as navigating through heavy traffic, dealing with erratic human drivers, or managing adverse weather conditions.

Achieving the precision and safety required for full autonomy requires significant advancements in artificial intelligence, sensor technology, and real-time data processing.

Elon Musk, one of the most vocal proponents of self-driving technology, has been criticized for regularly “overpromising” the technology’s abilities.

Tesla claims that one of its vehicles fitted with a “Full Self-Driving” system can travel to a location with almost zero human intervention.

William Stein, a technology analyst at Truist Securities, recently took Musk up on his invitation  to try the latest versions of Tesla’s FSD system.

The analyst claimed that the vehicle regularly made unsafe and illegal maneuvers and “terrified” his 16-year-old son.

Stein’s experiences have heightened the attention of US regulators, who were already targeting the company after a crash involving FSD killed a motorcyclist in April.

According to a prediction  from research firm GlobalData, the autonomous vehicle industry will not develop a fully self-driving car until 2035.

“We expect the timelines for deploying fully autonomous vehicles (Level 5) to be pushed back over the next few years,” the research firm wrote in a report.