Autonomous driving enters a new era

It's more like remote driving. Vay, the developer of this technology, is launching Europe-wide tests.

Photo by: Motor1.com

By: Mert Gökhan

Oct 28, 2024 at 8:21am ET

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Those who are not yet accustomed to autonomous cars may be shaken by this news. Vay, a German technology start-up, is preparing to expand its activities by receiving €34 million from the European Investment Bank.

But what is this company doing? Vay, which began experimenting in Las Vegas in early 2024, is focusing on "remote driving" technology. Drivers, whom the company calls "tele-drivers", can drive vehicles remotely in the style of Euro Truck Simulator 2. In Las Vegas, this system is used specifically for hire cars. The task of the virtual drivers is to pick up the rented vehicles from where they were dropped off and return them to the garage.

Europe: the testing ground

The installation created on virtual drives is fairly straightforward. Thanks to three different screens and a steering system, drivers can drive from the comfort of their office. Since the cameras and sensors located around the vehicle transmit information directly, the driver can operate the vehicle without any problems.

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Thanks to this investment, Vay will open up its technology to Europe. The system will first be tested in Hamburg, before being put into service in Belgium. The company currently has a fleet of 20 vehicles in Las Vegas and is preparing to increase this number to 100.

CEO Thomas von der Ohe points out that costs have fallen considerably thanks to this system. So much so that users can benefit from a service in Las Vegas that is much cheaper than Uber and similar mobility solutions thanks to Vay.