Together with Daimler, Bosch will start a pilot with robot taxis in San José this fall. During this pilot project, the test drives will only be conducted with trained drivers and an additional system engineer. The technology for self-driving cars is in an advanced development phase and the two partners want to conduct practical tests. The companies launched the project two years ago. The goal is to have the cars drive completely autonomously, at level 4 or even 5, which means that no human involvement is needed anymore.

The two manufacturers are launching a ride-hailing service, just like Uber, but with human drivers for the time being. However, since a fatal accident with an autonomous Uber taxi, this development has been under tight scrutiny.

During the Daimler and Bosch pilot project, the test drives will also be conducted with trained drivers and an additional system engineer in the car. The driver ensures the safety of the vehicle and can intervene in the event of an emergency. The operator starts the system and checks it. The taxi can be ordered and paid for by app.

The technology is first tested further before a production-ready system is developed for the private market. “The idea of ​​such a service is that the car will later continue to automate and drive without a driver. However, we first need to gain more experience in traffic and better understand the behavior of the passengers,” said Dirk Hoheisel, CEO of Bosch in Die Welt newspaper. “In a later development phase, more technology is required, such as laser scanners, and a considerably higher computing power is needed.”

• Bosch and Daimler starting tests with robot taxi in San Jose.