Feb. 7, 2018—Daimler and Bosch will soon start testing autonomous taxis, executives from both companies told German publication Automobilwoche.
Bosch CEO Volkmar Denner said he expects test vehicles to be on public streets “in the coming months,” though no further details were provided. Bosch and Daimler created a self-driving car development partnership last year.
Wilko Stark, vice president of Daimler and Mercedes-Benz Cars strategy, told the German publication that Daimler will make SAE Level 3 and “Level 4 / 5 cars” in the foreseeable future. Level 3 cars can drive themselves only in certain situations, while Level 4 vehicles are capable of fully-autonomous driving in all but extreme circumstances. Level 5 cars are fully autonomous.
Daimler also has experience, with Car2Go, in car-sharing services, and that, in theory, could help the company with regard to running fleets of self-driving cars. Car2Go recently reached 3 million members worldwide, and Daimler is reportedly in talks to combine it with BMW’s ReachNow service to form a larger enterprise, as The Drive reported.
