July 23, 2018—German automaker Daimler recently announced that it had partnered with auto supplier Bosch to trial an autonomous ride-hailing service in California starting in late 2019. Business Insider reported that the service will use Mercedes-Benz vehicles powered by Nvidia’s software and autonomous driving computing platform.
The cars will have a driver behind the wheel initially, and will only serve select routes in Silicon Valley. The service will also be free to consumers when it first launches.
According to Business Insider, a luxury autonomous mobility service could put Daimler in position to battle Waymo, whose partnership with Jaguar Land Rover also gives it access to that coveted market. Waymo recently started trialing autonomous Jaguar SUVs in California.
