DRIVERLESS robo-taxis are set to cruise the streets of major UK cities within the next three years.
A radical self-driving cab dubbed Verne will have no steering wheel, pedals or a dashboard as it ferries people around the town.
The two-seat electric hatchback promises to be more spacious than a Rolls-Royce.
Instead of traditional drivers’ seat with a steering wheel and pedals, there is more leg room to stretch out for a comfortable ride.
The dashboard has been replaced with 43-inch screen where passengers can enjoy playing X-box or watching movies on the way to their destination.
Verne designer Adriano Mudri said: “We wanted to make the interior less automotive and more like a living room.”
Mudri added that the car will have two seats over four because “nine out of 10 rides are used by one or two people.”
The unconventional ride will be available to order through an app where you can also choose the temperature of the salon in advance.
Passengers will even be able to pick the scent of the car ahead of time, the company claims.
You won’t have to worry about cancellations or long wait times either as Verne are built to operate 23.5 hours a day – with half an hour left for re-charge.
Each city will build a “mothership” where the cars will be based, cleaned and charged for the next ride.
The materials used in the cabin have also been engineered to be both lightweight and durable enough to withstand travelling over 62,000 miles annually.
Meanwhile, the sliding doors ensure there is no obstruction to traffic as you get off the car.
Verne will be running on Mobileye technology to drive safely by using a variety of sensors, including lidar, radar and cameras to monitor its environment.
This system is designed with redundancy in mind, meaning each component can run independently in case of a malfunction.
The smell sensors will ensure the taxi stays clean and fresh between each passenger while salon cameras take a picture of you both before and after you’re dropped off.
By Jamie Harris, Senior Technology and Science Reporter
EVERYONE is wondering whether their jobs will be taken over by robots or AI.
While it may feel like a while off yet, there are actually robo-taxis already on the street in some parts of the world.
Waymo – owned by Google parent Alphabet – is a self-driving ride hailing service currently operating in a handful of US states.
And when we say self-driving, we mean with no human sat behind the wheel at all.
US traffic safety regulators recently launched an investigation into the company, following a number of incidents and collisions with stationary objects.
Nevertheless, on a recent trip to San Francisco, one of four areas where it operates, we took Waymo for a spin to see whether this is the future of taxis.
Waymo works much like an Uber app, you set your location and destination, then wait for a ride to be accepted.
But the service isn’t available to everyone immediately, there’s currently a waiting list so if you’re curious to try, sign up well in advance.
Waymo is only allowed to operate on public roads in certain areas, as such they don’t drive on freeways yet, though testing is underway in Phoenix.
They’re approved to operate on roads with a speed limit of no more than 65 mph – due to inner-city speed limits you’re looking at 45 mph realistically.
My first gripe when hailing a ride is the length of time I had to wait – 11 minutes.
I’m used to much shorter waiting times with a traditional taxi or Uber.
This is no doubt due to the limited number of Waymo cars on the road, with only 250 registered in San Francisco (and not all of them operating at the same time).
My other initial issue was price too.
Considering there is no human driver to pay, Waymo is quite a bit more expensive than an Uber.
I don’t know what sort of factors determine price – Uber uses things like demand in a busy area for example – but one Waymo ride was about $10 more than an Uber.
Of course, there is no expectation of tips with a Waymo so that’s one saving.
When the car does arrive, you need to unlock the doors via the app, otherwise anyone could jump in obviously.
Waymo uses Jaguar I-PACE electric SUVs.
You’re not allowed to sit in the driver’s seat – and are strictly told not to touch anything on the driver’s side too.
Once you’re in, buckle up (an eerie voice assistant will tell you off if you don’t) and tap the drive button on the dashboard.
As the Waymo sets off, it’s quite surreal to see the steering wheel move on its own with no-one behind it.
My first feeling was a weird mix of curiosity, excitement and fear, as I winced at every possible collision moving before my eyes.
It was particularly terrifying braking to a stop at the top of San Francisco’s many steep hills.
You get a lot of stares from pedestrians who realise there isn’t anyone in the driver seat too.
The journey was pretty smooth but did lack the fineness of a human driver.
At one point a car ahead stopped to let someone out right at a cross junction.
The Waymo took longer than a human to figure out what was going on and how to get around it – a human would have known there was time and no cars on the opposite side of the road to takeover.
These machines are obviously programmed to follow the rules to a tee and not take the sort of calculated risks us humans do.
According to the company, Verne is made to work in “a variety of locations, on different road types, under varying weather conditions and even taking local driving styles into account”.
Mudri said: “We deeply integrated cameras, radars, short- and long-distance lidars, and their cleaning systems.
“At the same time, we were able to simplify the appearance by removing the typical human-driven vehicle features.
“We got rid of the windshield wipers. The same goes for side-view mirrors. This makes the aerodynamic performance more efficient and allows for easier cleaning.”
The new Verne robotaxi will be built and launch in the Croatian city of Zagreb in 2026.
The tests for the UK will be carried out in Manchester and Birmingham a year later before it can be rolled out in the bustling streets of London.
It comes as Elon Musk has confirmed Tesla robotaxi’s release date after teasing the self-driving rideshare for years.
In the past, the tech CEO said the new cars would drive autonomously while picking up riders for fares like Uber and Lyft.
Meanwhile,. self-driving vehicles could zip along UK roads by 2026 as the government introduces a new bill.
The Automated Vehicles Bill means motorists will not be held responsible for the action of a vehicle in self-driving mode.
