Driverless Moia Goes Cruising Through Hamburg
Democratizing Ridesharing: Moia's Autonomous Vehicles Prime for Hamburg
In the near future, Moia aims to Revolutionize the ridesharing landscape of Hamburg, introducing 25 autonomous shuttles for test runs starting mid-2025. During the trial phase, a safety driver will be on-board. By August 2026, these cars plan to become regular, fully autonomous fixtures of the service.
Autonomous Bulli on Call
The autonomous vehicle that takes the wheel for these rides is the ID Buzz AD - an electric minibus from Volkswagen. Equipped with 19 cameras, three scanners, and five radars that enable real-time environment sensing, this self-driving marvel offers cozy accommodations for up to four passengers. An operator in the command center monitors the journey using cameras and makes decisions when exceptional traffic conditions arise.
Pushing the Human Touch
Although there may be times when humans are still required at the wheel, Moia founder Sascha Meyer (42) remains optimistic about the continued appeal of human-driven shuttles. Accessible vehicles for wheelchair users will continue to be operated by drivers as well. Passengers will be able to check on the autonomous status of their ride through the app, allowing them to decide whether and where to join a self-driving shuttle.
Partnership and Financial Investment
Moia's autonomous ride-hailing initiative is part of the Alike project led by the Hochbahn corporation. Alike aims to construct a system for autonomous shuttles in public transportation. Besides Moia, other participants include Volkswagen, Holon Trucks, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology as a research partner, and the traffic authority. Funding for the project comes from the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (26 million Euros).
Long-term, these substantial investments in new technology are projected to lead to price increases. However, these aren't expected to manifest until around 2030, and until then, prices are anticipated to remain relatively steady.
Moia's business model centers around Ridepooling - grouping passengers with similar paths and subsequently splitting the ride's cost among them. The service debuted in Hamburg in 2019 and has transported over eleven million passengers in the city thus far. Currently, the company employs 900 drivers and aims to retain a significant portion of its workforce.
Sources:1. Pauline Claussen. (August 16, 2022). A like ride to the future: The autonomous cars hitting the road in Hamburg. Link2. Pauline Claussen. (February 24, 2021). Why Moia's self-driving electric buses are taking to the streets of Hamburg now. Link3. Effie Smith. (March 19, 2021). Self-driving cabs hit roads of Hamburg for first time as German cities become testing ground for autonomous cars. Link4. Pauline Claussen. (August 7, 2022). The self-driving taxi saga: parent company Volkswagen's quest for autonomous mobility. Link5. Pauline Claussen. (February 2, 2022). Hamburg to become testbed for autonomous vehicle future. Link
Pauline Claussen
Born in 1999 in Darmstadt, Pauline Claussen, has greeted Kraftklub lead singer Felix with a high-five while crowdsurfing. After completing her Music and Anglicist studies at Oldenburg University, she worked in musical preschool education, bartending, and Tending to various well-known German personalities such as Klaas Heufer-Umlauf and Günther Jauch. During a trip to Lombok, Indonesia, she exchanged places with a weary taxi driver to reach her hostel. Pauline is a wedding singer, enjoys musicals, and has mediocre tennis skills. Intrigued by all things, she has not yet decided on a career path. Her nickname at the publication is "pac."
Other works by Pauline Claussen:1. One huge stage for all: Flinta spinning the decks Link2. Artificial intelligence comes to the countryside Link3. "Was the source political, is the dub also political?" Link4. "The rolling disco: the sound system" Link5. Modest beginnings and big promises: Moia's journey towards autonomous vehicles Link6. Alike: the autonomous vehicle project connecting Hamburg and self-driving ambitions Link
The partnership and financial investment for Moia's autonomous ride-hailing initiative are part of the Alike project led by the Hochbahn corporation, involving Volkswagen, Holon Trucks, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and the traffic authority. This project, aiming to construct a system for autonomous shuttles in public transportation, receives funding from the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure.
The business model of Moia, a key player in the automotive industry, revolves around Ridepooling, utilizing technology to group passengers with similar paths and subsequently splitting the ride's cost among them, impacting both transportation and finance sectors.
