Skip to main content

Drive.ai self-driving tests with passengers in Frisco, Texas

Drive.ai is using self-driving vans to carry passengers on a near two-mile route in Frisco, Texas. According to a report by CBS News, the company is the first to launch such a test since an Uber vehicle driving in autonomous mode killed a pedestrian in Arizona. These vans will operate over the next six months, with a safety driver on board, and will travel between an office park and a nearby dining area and entertainment complex. Conway Chen, vice president at Drive.ai, says the service has been desi
July 31, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Drive.ai is using self-driving vans to carry passengers on a near two-mile route in Frisco, Texas. According to a report by %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external CBS News false https://www.cbsnews.com/news/self-driving-passenger-vans-hit-the-road-in-texas-city/ false false%>, the company is the first to launch such a test since an 8336 Uber vehicle driving in autonomous mode killed a pedestrian in %$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 4 35413 0 link-external Arizona false /categories/utc/news/uber-ends-self-driving-programme-in-arizona/ false false%>.


These vans will operate over the next six months, with a safety driver on board, and will travel between an office park and a nearby dining area and entertainment complex.

Conway Chen, vice president at Drive.ai, says the service has been designed around the Uber incident.

"It is something that we have absolutely designed around, and we are taking every precaution that we can to make sure that type of incident doesn't happen,” Chen adds.

These vans come with radar on the grill, infrared Lidar sensors and ten cameras on the roof to provide a 360-degree view of the road. The vehicles also feature screens on their sides, front and rear to alert pedestrians and drivers of their movements.

Drive.ai intends to add more destinations over the next six months and phase out the safety driver.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Contributions now open for ITS World Congress in Copenhagen
    September 15, 2017
    The call for contributions at the ITS World Congress in Copenhagen are now open under the theme ITS – Quality of Life, deadline 29 September 2017. The 25th congress will focus on ITS solutions that contribute to livability, greener environment and lower congestion and will provide experts with the opportunity to present the latest ITS solutions and mobility technologies.
  • FASTR consortium releases Automotive Industry Guidelines for Secure Over-the-Air Updates
    November 9, 2017
    A non-profit research consortium dedicated to automotive cyber security, Future of Automotive Security Technology Research (FASTR), has announced the availability of the Automotive Industry Guidelines for Secure Over-the-Air Updates. These guidelines are intended to assist automotive manufacturers and others involved in evaluating platforms for secure updates, describing the threat models, providing recommended cryptographic algorithms and detailing a step-by-step checklist for evaluating state of the art
  • Austria issues highest fines for violation of diesel bans, says study
    January 31, 2019
    Austria imposes the highest fines in Europe for violating diesel bans and low-emission zones, according to new research. Austrian authorities charge up to €2,180 for violators – the next highest is the UK, with fines up to £1,138. Auto parts company Kfzteile24 based its findings on data from UrbanAccessRegulations.eu and its map offers a comparison between 350 cities across Europe. The overview outlines examples of vehicles already affected by low-emission zones and driving diesel bans - and those likel
  • UK freight trains to be upgraded with European Train Control Systems
    December 20, 2017
    Network Rail has contracted Siemens Rail Automation to install European Train Control System (ETCS) in-cab signalling on 750 of the UK's heaviest locomotives to improve safety and provide better use of the network with plans to retrofit the entire fleet in 2022. This technology forms part of the country's Digital Railway programme, and the government has invested £450m ($602m) as part of its National Productivity Fund. For the first phase, Siemens will install its Trainguard 200 (T200) ETCS on-board