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Title: Volkswagen's Autonomous 'ID Buzz' Robotaxi Is Ready, And Cities And
Companies Can Buy Them Soon

Link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/06/23/0330...

The classic VW bus got an all-electric update - but that was just the
beginning. Now there's an autonomous driving version (that's intended for
commercial fleets, reports Jalopnik, "a level 4 vehicle that drives set
routes" that's "going into full production" as the ID Buzz AD. (The AD stands
for "autonomous driving" The AD version sports a longer wheelbase and a
higher roofline than its mere human-driven sibling, which helps it to fit in
the 13 cameras, nine LiDARs, and five radars that will (hopefully) allow the
car to drive without crashing into anybody. These are intended for large-
fleet customers providing taxi services, either ones run by local governments
or private companies. [Volkswagen Group software subsidiary MOIA] has already
lined up its first customer, the German city of Hamburg, which will provide
the automated Buzz as a public transit option alongside traditional bus and
subway services. If all goes well, after Hamburg MOIA "will bring
sustainable, autonomous mobility to large-scale deployment in Europe and the
U.S.," according to VW Group CEO Oliver Blume. Down the road, VW has also
signed an agreement for rideshare juggernaut Uber to use the ID Buzz AD
across America, starting with Los Angeles in 2026. The ID Buzz AD is the
first vehicle in Germany to reach SAE International's threshold for Level 4
autonomous driving, meaning that the car can drive itself, with no need for a
driver behind the wheel, within designated areas. It comes with "a full suite
of tools for public and private transit providers," notes the EV news site
Electrek. "That includes everything from the self-driving tech to fleet
management software, passenger support, and operator training. That will
allow cities and companies to launch driverless fleets quickly, safely, and
at scale." And Christian Senger, a member of the board of management of VW
Commercial Vehicles, tells DW the vans will be manufactured in very large
numbers. The Hannover VW factory is set to produce more than 10,000
commercial vehicles. "We believe we can be the leading supplier in Europe,"
Senger says.... [Senger] does not expect the top dog of Germany's beleaguered
auto industry to make any money, at least at first. In the long term, though,
he explains that autonomous driving is the lucrative field of the future, one
that promises to be much more profitable than the traditional automotive
industry... The exact price has not yet been announced but the ID. Buzz AD is
unlikely to come cheap. According to Senger, buyers will have to pay a low
six-figure sum (in euros) per vehicle. That means it's going to be expensive
for transport companies. The Association of German Transport Companies or
VDV, is calling for a nationally coordinated strategy of long-term financing,
and a market launch supported by public funding, to establish the country's
supremacy in this market.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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