Hyundai has partnered with Pony.ai, a Fremont-based AI startup, to develop an autonomous vehicle based on the Kona Electric. Starting from November 4, a fleet of self-driving Kona Electric SUVs will offer a free ridesharing service to the local community of Irvine, California.
Users can avail the BotRide on-demand ridesharing service via the BotRide app (iOS and Android). The algorithms enable multiple riders to share the same vehicle and the app directs the passengers to nearby stops for pick up and drop off.
The Kona EVs are equipped with Pony.ai’s latest sensor hardware and proprietary software to identify the precise position of surrounding vehicles, handle pedestrian traffic in urban areas, accurately monitor its surroundings, predict the behavior of other road users, and precisely plan actions accordingly, the company said.
The BotRide is a pilot project validating the user experience ahead of a possible fully driverless future. The service area covers several residential, commercial, and institutional points of interest.
However, it appears that there’ll be a human driver behind the wheel of each of these cars, just in case.
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