CES is underway in Las Vegas, the world’s most famous consumer electronics fair, and this year it is once again full of announcements from the automotive sector. One of them arrives in the form of a joint announcement by American technology companies Lucid Group, Nuro and Uber Technologies. They jointly developed and now officially presented the first production vehicles intended for the global robot taxi service.
Advanced, luxurious, affordable
The triple partnership brings together Lucid’s electric vehicle architecture, Nur’s Level 4 autonomous driving technology and Uber’s global transportation network. This ambitious project aims to transform the autonomous driving market by providing a superior passenger experience, which was publicly demonstrated for the first time at CES. According to the three companies, the robotaxi is designed to be an affordable yet luxurious solution for sustainable mobility, with an initial launch plan in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The vehicle is basically based on the Lucid Gravity electric model, equipped with a range of sensors, including high-resolution cameras, solid-state lidars and radars that enable perception of the environment in 360°. The system is integrated into the body and a specially designed roof module that ensures maximum visibility, although it somewhat disturbs the aesthetics of the car and makes the robotax recognizable from afar. There are also integrated LED screens on the roof module, which enable passengers to identify the vehicle more easily by displaying the passenger’s initials and the driving status from the moment of arrival at the destination.
The hardware basis of the system is the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor system, as part of the NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion platform, which enables the execution of artificial intelligence models in real time, which is necessary for safe vehicle management.
Production this year
The interior of the vehicle offers a spacious layout that can accommodate up to six passengers with considerable luggage space. Passengers have access to interactive screens through which they can personalize the ride, control air conditioning, heated seats and music, while real-time visualization shows what the vehicle “sees” and where it plans to turn, thereby increasing user confidence in the system.
Autonomous testing on public roads began in December last year under the auspices of the Nuro company, and is carried out using engineering prototypes under the supervision of operators. The test program uses Nuro’s AI model that combines artificial intelligence with verifiable security logic. The beginning of mass production of vehicles at Lucid’s factory in Arizona is expected at the end of this year. Certification and commercial launch are also planned before the end of this year.
