Uber's Ambitious Plan to Support Autonomous Driving
Uber has unveiled a prototype car that will be used to collect real-world driving data for its autonomous vehicle partners. The vehicle, a Hyundai Ioniq 5, is fitted with an impressive array of sensors, including 14 cameras, eight solid-state lidar sensors, and nine radars.
A Milestone for Uber's AV Labs Division
This marks the first time Uber has assembled a vehicle itself since selling its autonomous vehicle division to Aurora in 2020. It's also a significant step forward for Uber's AV Labs division, which aims to develop the world's most geographically diverse set of training data for autonomous driving.
A Fleet of 500 Vehicles
Uber plans to roll out 500 of these sensor-equipped Hyundai EVs globally this year. The fleet will be able to collect 2 million miles per month of high-fidelity data for robotaxis. The company expects 50 of these vehicles to be on the road by the summer.
A Partnership with Roush Performance
The Ioniqs are fitted with sensors through a partnership with Roush Performance, which will handle the vehicle retrofits. The data will be routed through Nvidia's Dual Drive Thor autonomous vehicle computer.
A Head Start
Uber already has a head start in collecting data. The company has collected data from a fleet of thousands of specially-equipped vehicles in dozens of cities. It has also captured data from hundreds of Lucid Air vehicles operating in the U.S. and Europe over the past two years.
A 360-Degree View
Uber's aim is to develop a 360-degree, time-synchronized stitched view that can be used to train self-driving software. If successful, this dataset will give its AV partners a comprehensive understanding of the world, enabling them to train their software more effectively.
A Significant Step Forward
Uber's AV Labs division is analyzing the data it has collected so far and preparing to collect even more with its modified Ioniq 5 vehicles. The company is open to changing the sensor suite as its partners' needs evolve.
The Future of Autonomous Driving
The success of Uber's AV Labs division will have a significant impact on the future of autonomous driving. With a more comprehensive dataset, its partners will be able to develop more advanced self-driving software, bringing us closer to a future where autonomous vehicles are the norm.