Mobileye’s US robotaxi launch will put it on both sides of the AV business
Mobileye’s US robotaxi launch will put it on both sides of the AV business
Mobileye 在美推出自动驾驶出租车，将身兼技术供应商与运营商双重角色
Mobileye has pitched itself as an autonomous vehicle technology supplier. Now it wants the operator label, too. The Intel subsidiary and publicly traded company said Tuesday it plans to launch a robotaxi service in a U.S. city in 2027, marking an expansion beyond its supplier strategy.
Mobileye 一直以来将自己定位为自动驾驶技术供应商。如今，它也想贴上“运营商”的标签。这家英特尔旗下的上市公司周二表示，计划于 2027 年在美国某城市推出自动驾驶出租车（robotaxi）服务，这标志着其业务范围已超越了单纯的供应商策略。
Mobileye didn’t name the U.S. city. However, the Israeli-based company said it will have an initial fleet of 100 autonomous vehicles, which will be phased in throughout 2027. If successful, Mobileye said it plans to scale to about 17,000 robotaxis over the following five years.
Mobileye 并未透露具体是哪座美国城市。不过，这家总部位于以色列的公司表示，初期将投入 100 辆自动驾驶汽车，并于 2027 年内分阶段投放。Mobileye 表示，如果进展顺利，计划在随后的五年内将车队规模扩大至约 17,000 辆。
“The robotaxi revolution has only just begun, and its potential for transforming how we travel around the world continues to increase,” Mobileye founder and CEO Amnon Shashua said in a statement, noting that the industry has become increasingly dependent on a small number of technology providers and business models.
“自动驾驶出租车的革命才刚刚开始，它改变全球出行方式的潜力正在不断增长，” Mobileye 创始人兼首席执行官 Amnon Shashua 在一份声明中表示。他指出，目前该行业已变得越来越依赖少数几家技术供应商和商业模式。
Mobileye rose to prominence supplying automakers with millions of computer vision chips designed to support automotive safety features and advanced driver-assistance systems. The company later began developing chips and software that could handle autonomous driving and tested the tech in several cities. It now supplies its self-driving system to Volkswagen and its MOIA subsidiary.
Mobileye 的崛起得益于其为汽车制造商提供了数百万枚计算机视觉芯片，这些芯片旨在支持汽车安全功能和高级驾驶辅助系统。随后，该公司开始开发能够处理自动驾驶任务的芯片和软件，并在多个城市进行了技术测试。目前，它已向大众汽车及其子公司 MOIA 提供自动驾驶系统。
But Mobileye apparently wants to own some of the robotaxi market, even if that puts it in direct competition with companies it supplies its self-driving system to. These robotaxi aspirations aren’t entirely new. In a 2020 interview with TechCrunch, Shashua said he believed that the “Holy Grail” was passenger car autonomy — in which consumers could buy a car that could operate fully driverless. But to get there he needed to pursue robotaxis.
但 Mobileye 显然希望在自动驾驶出租车市场分一杯羹，即便这会使其与现有的客户产生直接竞争。这种对自动驾驶出租车的抱负并非心血来潮。在 2020 年接受 TechCrunch 采访时，Shashua 就曾表示，他认为“圣杯”是乘用车的自动驾驶——即消费者可以购买一辆能够完全无人驾驶的汽车。但要实现这一目标，他必须先从自动驾驶出租车业务入手。
“The realization is that you can’t reach that Holy Grail if you don’t go through the robotaxi business,” Shashua said at the time.
“我们意识到，如果不经历自动驾驶出租车业务这一阶段，就无法触及那个‘圣杯’，” Shashua 当时说道。
Mobileye said it will create a new operating business for its robotaxi service, which will use its self-driving system. Mobileye plans to manage the fleet and will leverage Moovit, the transit and ride-hailing app it owns, for the consumer-facing piece. Mobileye said this new business will complement its supplier business.
Mobileye 表示，将为其自动驾驶出租车服务创建一个新的运营部门，并使用自家的自动驾驶系统。Mobileye 计划自行管理车队，并利用其旗下的公共交通和网约车应用 Moovit 来处理面向消费者的业务。Mobileye 称，这项新业务将对其供应商业务形成补充。
The company didn’t name the vehicle that will be used in its fleet, only noting that it will work with “AV-ready vehicle platform manufacturers.” However, the company’s press release announcing the partnership shows a photo illustration of what appears to be a modified Ora iQ, the electric crossover produced by the Chinese automaker Great Wall Motors.
该公司并未透露其车队将使用哪款车型，仅表示将与“具备自动驾驶能力的车辆平台制造商”合作。然而，该公司发布合作公告的新闻稿中，配图展示了一款看似经过改装的欧拉 iQ（Ora iQ），这是中国汽车制造商长城汽车生产的一款电动跨界车。
“This initiative is not a replacement for our existing partnerships; it is an extension of them,” said Shashua. “We remain deeply committed to enabling automakers and mobility providers with Mobileye Drive. At the same time, operating our own service allows us to accelerate adoption, gain direct operational experience, and showcase the full potential of autonomous mobility.”
“这一举措并非为了取代我们现有的合作伙伴关系，而是对其的延伸，” Shashua 表示。“我们依然坚定致力于通过 Mobileye Drive 为汽车制造商和出行服务商赋能。与此同时，运营我们自己的服务能让我们加速技术普及，获得直接的运营经验，并展示自动驾驶出行的全部潜力。”