Taxi-service companies have already been seen in collaboration with developers of autopilot systems. For example, Uber is testing in the US prototypes of "automatic taxis" on the Volvo XC90 platform, and General Motors is cooperating with Lyft and Maven's car rental subsidiary. Now, partners from among companies that provide cars for rent, appeared in Apple and Waymo. As explains the publication Bloomberg , Apple while a very modest fleet of prototypes with an autopilot system rents
from Hertz - a well-known company that provides cars for hire. In California, Apple received permission to test three prototypes based on the Lexus RX 450h, but informed sources say that about six cars were tested earlier in the year without much publicity. Hertz shares on these news soared by 13%, although before this case the company was not very successful.
Apparently, for Hertz it is an opportunity to experience a new type of service - renting a car that does without a driver. Similar motivations are followed by Avis, which concluded an agreement with Waymo for maintenance and maintenance of the Chrysler Pacifica minivan park with autopilot function that are being tested in Arizona. This caused the growth of the share price of Avis by 21%.
The scheme of cooperation between Waymo and Avis is more prosaic - the latter takes care of maintenance and maintenance of the park of robotic minivans Chrysler Pacifica, the total number of which the company wants to bring to 600 to 600 pieces. Avis will provide parking spaces for them (under a canopy), wash these cars, change oil, rubber and supplies. Avis specialists will not interfere with the operation of electronic systems. The financial side of the transaction is not called, but Waymo
reserves the right to cooperate with other similar companies. All prototypes participating in tests involving regular passengers are constantly under the control of a test driver and an engineer located in the front passenger seat. Related Products :
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