Wayve and Uber steal a march on Waymo with paid self-driving London rides
15 Mustangs on the city streets, but the Nissan LEAF follow-up could dispense with the safety driver
Wayve and Uber have launched self-driving rides in London, but the real story lies in what's planned for the future. Today, 15 electric Ford Mustangs equipped with the Wayve AI driver will operate the city's streets, accompanied by a safety driver. However, Wayve showcased a Nissan LEAF, which will run the Wayve AI Driver using NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion.
This Nissan LEAF prototype may have an even more impressive self-driving system than the Mustang, built directly into the car. The Nissan LEAF is set to launch in the UK next year, depending on technology and regulations. While Uber's initial launch phase involves supervised autonomous rides with a trained driver, Wayve expects the Nissan LEAF to eventually handle rides independently.
Wayve, founded in 2017, has been testing its AI tech on London's roads since 2018 and partnered with Uber in 2024, expanding to 12 markets worldwide. The Nissan LEAF will debut in Tokyo.
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- Uber launches London's first commercial robotaxi service; the vehicles use Wayve's autonomous driving tech and will initially have human safety drivers (Andrew J. Hawkins/The Verge) theverge.com
- Want a ride in Uber and Wayve's first driverless London taxis? Here's how to boost your chances techradar.com
- Wayve and Uber steal a march on Waymo with paid self-driving London rides theregister.com
- Watch: BBC travels in self-driving Uber around London bbc.co.uk
