San Francisco-based ride-hailing company Uber Technologies and the Swedish carmaker Volvo Cars announced a $300 million partnership agreement to develop self-driving cars.
The deal announced on 18 Aug. is part of a series of initiatives by the ride-hailing giant to develop self-driving taxis. The goal is to replace its more than 1 million drivers with autopilots in the long term.
Uber’s effort to develop its own driverless technology began last year when it recruited hundreds of engineers and robotics experts from Carnegie Mellon University’s robotics and engineering center. The ride-hailing giant also announced it would deploy self-driving cars in Pittsburgh to test its driverless technology, starting this month.
“Pittsburgh could see some robotaxi tourism,” said Bryant Walker Smith, an assistant professor of law at the University of South Carolina, who specializes in autonomous vehicle regulations.
