The ever-volatile self-driving vehicle industry has yet another new alliance. Automotive News reports Lyft has partnered with NuTonomy for autonomous vehicle rides in Boston.
The news marks the second Lyft shack-up since the ride-sharing company also announced a new partnership with Waymo, which is Google’s self-driving vehicle arm. Waymo is currently partnered with Fiat-Chrysler as well.
It’s significant because General Motors invested $500 million into Lyft last year in an effort to develop a fleet of self-driving cars. We reached out to GM for comment and were provided the following statement:
The announced partnership between nuTonomy and Lyft does not affect our existing business relationship with Lyft. Our plan remains steadfast — we are on track to launch our self-driving technology first in a ride-sharing application.
NuTonomy does not actually build self-driving cars but instead develops autonomous vehicle software. With NuTonomy’s software and Lyft’s network of ride-sharing prowess, it could make for a force to be reckoned with.
“The first stage of the partnership is focused on research and development on passenger experience,” said Lyft CEO Logan Green during a call with reporters on Monday. “The next stages could lead to thousands of NuTonomy cars on the Lyft platform.”
NuTonomy has been testing self-driving electric vehicles in Boston neighborhoods for some time. The company also has a large presence in Singapore where it hopes to introduce autonomous taxis next year.
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