Toronto-based autonomous vehicle (AV) startup, Waabi, has partnered with Uber (NYSE:UBER) Freight, the logistics division of the US ride-hailing giant, in a 10-year agreement aimed at advancing autonomous trucking. The collaboration involves integrating Waabi's core technology, Waabi Driver, with Uber Freight's logistics platform and autonomous trucking operations, creating what the companies describe as a unique driver-as-a-service solution.
The partnership was announced on Thursday and has already seen Waabi's self-driving solution hit the road in Texas. The initial commercial route is live between Dallas and Houston, with Waabi Driver-enabled trucks manned by human drivers and engineers for safety purposes. Over the next decade, the companies plan to deploy billions of miles worth of Waabi Driver capacity, expanding to other roads across Texas and beyond.
Waabi founder and CEO Raquel Urtasun, who previously worked at Uber's self-driving unit Uber ATG as chief scientist, expressed her optimism about the partnership in an interview with BetaKit. She noted that digital brokers like Uber Freight will be crucial in the self-driving future and highlighted the access to Uber Freight's vast network that this collaboration offers. Uber Freight oversees $18 billion USD worth of freight across 100,000 carriers, 5,000 shippers, and more than two million drivers.
Uber Freight founder and CEO Lior Ron echoed Urtasun's sentiments in a statement. He said that the partnership allows them to bring Waabi’s revolutionary generative AI innovation to their vast freight network, providing shippers and carriers nationwide with tools needed for autonomous technology adoption.
However, the road ahead for autonomous vehicles hasn't been smooth. Despite technological advancements in recent years, autonomous driving tech has proven to be cost-intensive to develop and difficult to scale while raising safety issues. In fact, The Globe reports that autonomous vehicles are still proving to be accident-prone.
Waabi, which was founded in 2021, has been developing self-driving vehicles primarily through simulation, using an artificial intelligence model to navigate virtual roads. The company launched its first product, the Waabi Driver, in November 2022. The software includes vehicle-mounted sensors and automated driving software and is trained using Waabi World, a proprietary AV simulator, and generative AI to simulate the driving experience before deployment on the road.
Despite the challenges, Urtasun believes that Waabi's strategy is cheaper, safer, and more scalable than traditional road testing-first approaches. From a commercialization standpoint, Waabi initially targets autonomous long-haul trucking to address industry labor shortages, safety concerns, and ongoing supply chain problems. Over the long term, there are plans for Waabi to expand into other use cases.
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