Mercedes enters the robotaxi market with China's Momenta in Abu Dhabi
Mercedes-Benz Group AG announced a partnership with the Chinese software developer Momenta Global Ltd. to deploy driverless cars for the Lumo Mobility service in Abu Dhabi.
What is known
The companies promise Level 4 automated driving, allowing drivers to take their hands off the wheel and look away from the road. The system will be integrated into the new S-Class, which is scheduled to debut in January. Lumo Mobility, a subsidiary of the technology company K2 Group, will act as the operator of the autonomous taxi fleet. The latter has received permission to operate autonomous vehicles in the UAE, starting with Abu Dhabi.
Momenta Global was founded in 2016. It is among the leading Chinese companies in the development of autonomous driving software. Instead of manufacturing vehicles, it supplies systems trained on large sets of real driving data.
The project in Abu Dhabi will operate on Mercedes' new MB.OS software, which allows partners to create complex applications - including a highly automated driving system - on top of the central operating system. This approach allows Mercedes to maintain control over its core software while attracting partners for costly specialized components.
Source: Mercedes-Benz
