Driverless transportation provider Vay is expanding its business model to tap the growing commercial market for teleoperated fleet vehicles. With recent partnerships inked with French automaker Peugeot and Belgium’s Poppy car share service, the Berlin-based startup sees big potential in supplying its remote control technology for corporate and business use cases.
Rather than operate its own robotaxi fleet, Vay employs personnel stationed at control centers to pilot empty vehicles via onboard cameras and sensors. Customers are driven to their pick up point where the onboard driver hands over manual control for the journey. Once passengers arrive at their destination, the teleoperator takes back control and ferries the car to its next assignment.
This teleoperations model keeps operating costs down compared to staffing vehicles. CEO Thomas von der Ohe believes that within the next 5-10 years, automotive manufacturers will equip all production vehicles with the cameras and connectivity needed to enable remote operation at minimal additional expense. It is this installed base of ADAS-equipped cars that Vay aims to tap into through B2B partnerships.
The startup’s new business development division will provide fleets of all types – from automakers and rental firms to logistics giants – access to Vay’s tele driving platform. A deal with Peugeot is already testing how an electric utility van reacts to remote piloting. Luxury car imports may contract Vay’s tech to enable remote valet services after high-end social events. Another trial running on Poppy car share cars in Belgium will explore commercial applications.
In dense urban markets like Berlin and Las Vegas where Vay currently operates its passenger service, the affordability of teleoperations versus ride-hailing promises sustainable growth according to von der Ohe. By guaranteeing fares half the price of other mobility options, the 3-year old company has achieved 20% monthlyrides increases and customer retention through repeat use. Meeting profitability may require further scaling of fleets to 100+ vehicles in each city within the next year. But diversifying revenue streams into business telematics platforms looks poised to expedite the path to profitability for this driverless transportation innovator.
