Lyft to Launch First Mobileye Robotaxis in Dallas by 2026

Lyft is set to introduce its inaugural Mobileye robotaxi service in Dallas by 2026, marking a significant milestone in the rollout of autonomous driving technology.

Lyft and Marubeni: A Partnership for Robotaxis

Seeking a foothold in the autonomous vehicle market, Lyft has announced a partnership with Japanese conglomerate Marubeni. Their goal is to launch robotaxis in Dallas next year, with plans to expand to other cities with “thousands of vehicles”.

Mobileye: The Technological Edge

This partnership marks the first realization of Lyft’s alliance with Mobileye, an automotive technology company owned by Intel, announced last November. Mobileye’s technology is already integrated into various car models from Audi, Ford, GM, Nissan, and Volkswagen. Jeremy Bird, Lyft’s Executive Vice President of Driver Experience, told TechCrunch that discussions are ongoing with “all major autonomous car manufacturers”.

Large-Scale Deployment

Marubeni, a behemoth with diverse subsidiaries from grains to fossil fuels, owns and operates fleets comprising over 900,000 vehicles globally. Robotaxis equipped with Mobileye technology will be available through the Lyft app once the program is launched.

The Pressure of Competition

While the Dallas launch will serve as a pilot program for Mobileye’s autonomous vehicles, Lyft is also pursuing other projects. Last year, it formed a partnership with autonomous vehicle company May Mobility, aiming to deploy robotaxis in Atlanta by 2025. This move increases competition for Lyft, which is already contending with Uber’s significant advances in the autonomous vehicle field with partners like Avride, Aurora Innovation, Nuro, Waabi, and Wayve. Uber and Alphabet’s subsidiary Waymo are also set to launch autonomous vehicle fleets in Austin and Atlanta this year.