Israeli government gives driverless cars the green light

The Israeli government has passed legislation allowing companies to pilot autonomous shared transport, such as taxis carrying passengers, without the need for an onboard safety driver.

The Israeli Ministry of Transportation and Road Safety’s bill paves the way for Mobileye and Sixt to move ahead with plans to roll out robotaxis and ride hailing services in Tel Aviv this year.

Jerusalem-based Mobileye, which currently operates the largest fleet of autonomous vehicles, has been trialling robotaxi services in Tel Aviv since 2018. It runs a fleet or orange NIO SE8s, seven-seater SUVs, made by Chinese manufacturer NIO and powered by Mobileye Drive fully integrated self-driving system.

Passengers will have a choice of two apps (initially) to access services. Firstly, Mobileye’s app developed by Moovit, the Israeli smart transit data company, which Intel swallowed up in 2020 for $900m and an app developed by car rental and mobility company Sixt.

Image courtesy of Mobileye/Moovit.