Mobileye plans 2027 US launch for its own robotaxi service
The Intel-linked autonomous driving company says it will start with about 100 vehicles in an unnamed US city and may expand sharply if the rollout succeeds.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
Mobileye plans to launch its own robotaxi service in a US city in 2027, moving beyond supplying autonomous driving technology to other companies. The company said the service will begin with about 100 vehicles and use its Moovit mobility platform for ride bookings and operations.
The company has not named the city where it intends to start the service. Mobileye said it wants the project to be run as an end-to-end business, pairing its autonomous vehicle systems with direct control of customer-facing service and day-to-day operations.
Founder and Chief Executive Amnon Shashua said Mobileye has spent more than 20 years developing autonomous driving technology and now wants to combine that work with operational control. He said the aim is to build a robotaxi business that can expand across markets.
Expansion plan depends on early results
Mobileye said it could grow the fleet to about 17,000 robotaxis over the following five years if the first deployment performs well. The company described the initial 100-vehicle rollout as the starting point for a larger commercial effort.
Shashua said the company’s own service is meant to add to, rather than replace, its existing work with automakers and mobility providers. He said running a service directly would help Mobileye gain operating experience, speed adoption and show how its autonomous driving system works in commercial use.
Mobileye said the service will use Moovit, the mobility platform it owns, to connect with riders and handle trip-related operations. The company did not announce pricing, the vehicle model for the US service or the specific operating area.
Company already works with automakers and ride-hailing firms
Ars Technica reported that Mobileye became widely known in the mid-2010s through its work with Tesla, which used Mobileye’s driver-assistance technology in Autopilot. That relationship ended in 2016 after Mobileye raised concerns about how a driver-assistance system was being presented to consumers, according to Ars Technica.
Since then, Mobileye has continued to supply advanced driver-assistance and autonomous vehicle technology to other companies, according to Ars Technica. Its SuperVision system combines cameras and radar sensors and has been used by companies including Porsche and Polestar, Ars Technica reported.
Mobileye has also pursued robotaxi partnerships. Ars Technica reported that the company has worked with Volkswagen Group’s MOIA on a robotaxi based on the Volkswagen ID. Buzz minivan.
The company also disclosed plans last year to work with Lyft on robotaxis in Dallas, with deployment described at the time as possible as soon as this year, according to Ars Technica. Mobileye’s planned 2027 service would put the company in the position of operating its own robotaxi business while continuing those outside partnerships.
Mobileye is based in Israel. Intel bought the company in 2017, and Mobileye became a public company again in 2022, according to Ars Technica.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.