Mobileye has announced plans to launch its own autonomous ride-hailing service, bringing the company into direct competition with players like Waymo, Uber and Lyft.
The move will see Mobileye operate robotaxi services directly rather than only providing autonomous driving systems to automakers and operators which is how the company has historically positioned itself.
Mobileye plans to launch in a U.S. city in 2027 with an initial fleet of 100 vehicles, though the company declined to disclose which city. Within the following five years, Mobileye is targeting 17,000 self-driving vehicles deployed on its platform.
“As interest in autonomous mobility accelerates, the industry has become increasingly dependent on a small number of technology providers and business models,” said Mobileye CEO and Founder Prof. Amnon Shashua.
“The robotaxi revolution has only just begun and its potential for transforming how we travel around the world continues to increase.”
Mobileye’s ride-hailing service will use Mobileye Drive, its autonomous driving system which is already deployed through partnerships with operators including Uber, Lyft, Moia and Deutsche Bahn as well as automakers like Volkswagen and Benteler Holon.
The self-driving system will be combined with the mobility platform of Mobileye’s subsidiary company Moovit which offers journey planning and payment services across more than 3,500 cities in 112 countries. Through partnerships with vehicle manufacturers, operators, integration partners and technology suppliers, Mobileye is aiming to build and own an end-to-end autonomous mobility platform.
“There is nothing about this initiative that prevents us from deploying our autonomous vehicles on third-party ride hailing platforms,” a Mobileye spokesperson told Zag Daily. “We believe that there will be significant demand for whoever can produce safe and cost-efficient autonomous vehicles.”
The initial deployment in the first U.S. city – said to be a “major metropolitan” market – will roll out in phases throughout 2027 as the company seeks to validate its operational model under fully driverless conditions.
Mobileye said the launch will not affect its existing technology business. Mobileye Drive will continue to be offered to automakers and mobility operators developing their own autonomous vehicle services.
