Car rental company Sixt and Intel subsidiary Mobileye want to have robot axis driving in Munich by 2022. The two companies will announce a new partnership on Tuesday to bring the robotaxi service to the German city.
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said at the IAA Mobility conference that “the robot axi service will be made possible by the new law in Germany that allows self-driving vehicles.” According to Gelsinger, Mobileye’s technology and Sixt’s infrastructure will enable the robot axi to make its first test drives next year.
If these tests go well and they get permission from the authorities, the robot axi rides will be available to everyone. Taxi rides can then be ordered via both the Moovit app from Mobileye and the ONE app from Sixt. In addition to normal taxi services, shared cars and subscriptions, the app can also be used to order robot axis.
Intel took over the Moovit platform in 2020. The Israeli startup was bought by the tech giant for $900 million. In 2017, it bought Mobileye, which develops technology for autonomous vehicles.
Intel and Sixt are not the only companies looking to bring a robot axi to market quickly. Last month, car manufacturer Hyundai also showed an autonomous version of its Ioniq 5. The robot axi is intended to transport passengers in 2023.