Even though numerous experts warn that the final deployment of autonomous driving will take longer than expected a few years ago, this sector is still considered by car manufacturers as one of the most important for the future, as it will mean a real revolution in the way of understanding mobility.
Although it is usually considered that the main references in this field are Waymo (Google) and Tesla, which have radically different approaches to the development of this technology, many giants are looking to create their autonomous cars (this is the case of Argo AI and Cruise, belonging respectively to Ford-Volkswagen and General Motors).
Today we will talk about two heavyweights in the field of autonomous driving: Aurora, a startup created by experts from Google and Tesla, and Uber, one of the largest shared mobility operators in the world. Both companies have just closed an agreement that will strengthen their position against the Argo above AI, Cruise, Waymo, and Tesla.
Thus, Uber has sold its autonomous vehicle division, Uber Advanced Technologies Group, to Aurora. However, the multinational has not completely dissociated itself from the project. In exchange for the sale, it has acquired 26% of Aurora, investing 400 million dollars to support the developments of the young startup in this competitive market niche.
On the other hand, the employees of Uber Advanced Technologies Group will also be considered shareholders of Aurora, owning 14% of the company. The sales agreement filed with the United States Trade Safety Commission also emphasizes future collaboration between Aurora and Uber. The latter aims to incorporate the autonomous vehicles developed by the former into its global fleet.
Chris Urmson, executive director of Aurora, believes that thanks to this movement, the startup is in a more competitive position than ever (a statement that is not trivial, since the company already had the support of large companies such as Amazon or Hyundai in advance, Thanks to which, at the time, it managed to attract investments worth more than 700 million dollars).