They’re building the first electric car designed for Uber

Electric mobility is increasingly taking a leading role around the world, examples being brands that have announced electric models or have switched entirely to a zero-emissions alternative. aware of this, Automaker BYD and ride-sharing company Uber have announced a partnership to create the first electric vehicle designed for shared transportation.

In the next 24 months, the travel company Uber will have a fleet of up to 1,000 electric cars that can be rented to driversThe novelty of the proposal lies in its implementation, in which Chile will be the first country to see the new mobility system, starting with its capital.

The D1 will be silent and emission-free and will be able to carry up to four passengers, as well as a range of up to 418 kilometers on a single charge, which can be completed to 100% in about two hours.

At the level of technological progress, the car will have a Level 2 assistant driving system, that is, it will have automatic emergency braking, a lane change or lane change warning, sensors in the event of a possible collision and an angle prediction system that allows you to determine the direction of the car in the opposite direction, as well as Automatically adjustable illumination.

In terms of safety and because it is designed for shared travel, the D1 will have four airbags and an acoustic and acoustic analysis system thanks to an AI-assisted communication system.

“We are very pleased to be able to join BYD in this alliance which is another step towards fulfilling our global commitment to have 100% of journeys on the platform zero emissions by 2040. We want to be cities’ allies against climate change, resulting in sustainable transport , i.e. subscriber, electric and multimedia,” told Alberto Vignau, Uber’s general manager in Chile.

This is not the only BYD commitment to electric mobility in Latin America. In Colombia, the company owns 90% of the fleet of electric taxis in Medellin and more than 40 electric taxis in Bogota, in addition, the D1 model will also be launched in the country. The country will focus on electric taxis In the city of eternal spring by the EPM (Empresas Públicas de Medellín) and the municipal administration.

According to Juan Felipe Velasquez, Commercial Director of BYD Colombia, electric mobility is also an investment opportunity, because thanks to laws such as Decree 846 of December 30, 2019 to the Office of the Mayor of Bogotá, and laws such as 1964 of July 11, 2019, these vehicles are exempt from any restrictions on Commuting like rush and license plate, car-free day, traffic restrictions due to environmental issues, etc.

In addition to the benefits in terms of mobility, electric cars in Colombia have reduced costs such as technical and mechanic reviews, vehicle taxes, preferential parking, and others.

The fleet of robot taxis developed by Google

The Waymo project is part of the Alphabet group, which is a major subsidiary of Google, the initiative was born in 2009 with the idea of ​​implementing and manufacturing fully autonomous vehicles, and after more than a decade is about to start, as the company ends the partnership with the car maker Geely To bring the first fleet of fully autonomous electric taxis onto the streets.

The design of the cars will start in Sweden because in that country the Chinese manufacturer owns Volvo’s facilities, the brand owns it, and the idea is to adapt the iconic Zeekr (Volvo electric car) five-door to equip it with hardware and software so that it can drive itself.

Through a statement, Waymo announced that it plans to initially deploy these vehicles in the United States at some point in the “next few years.”

The alliance’s first designs featured a vehicle designed exclusively to drive itself, with no steering wheel, lever, or pedals. It has a low entry degree and an open design without any spacers between the seats, as well as sliding doors and reclining seats.

The concept will only have a screen as an add-on, although it is not known if it will offer any kind of entertainment or if only passengers will have to see the progress of their journey.

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