Lyft and Aptiv Discuss Engagement Beyond Driverless Ride-Hailing Partnership

Ride-hailing startup, Lyft Inc., and self-driving software company, Aptiv Plc., are discussing further engagement beyond showing off a fully-automated ride-hailing service at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas later this month.

Aptiv, formerly known as Delphi Automotive Plc, has partnered with Lyft to allow passengers to request self-driving rides from the Las Vegas Convention Center's Gold Lot.

The “point-to-point” ride-hailing system will add in Lyft’s app with Aptiv’s automated driving platform, offering rides to attendees of the annual show, the companies said in a statement. Operating in complex areas like the Las Vegas Strip will “accelerate the availability of automated driving platforms for commercial applications,” the companies said.

The company said that the rides, which will be available from Jan. 9 to 12 to more than 20 locations in Las Vegas, will demonstrate Aptiv's automated system and Lyft's user platform.

Lyft and its larger U.S. rival, Uber Technologies Inc., see autonomous vehicles as the key to their long-term business prospects. Lyft last year announced plans to allow self-driving developers and carmakers to plug into its network of nearly 1 million rides per day as it looks to strengthen the promising technology.

In 2017, Lyft secured a permit to test autonomous vehicles in California and struck a research collaboration with Alphabet unit Waymo. It has also secured deals with Ford Motor Co. and startup Nutonomy to incorporate self-driving cars in its fleet.

Meanwhile, Aptiv is seeking to capitalize on the changing dynamics of the car sector, where parts makers with expertise in self-driving technology and electrification have become hot commodities.

The former Delphi bought self-driving startup NuTonomy Inc. for $450 million in October, stepping up its plans to supply carmakers with autonomous vehicle systems. NuTonomy already counts Lyft among its partners and has previously teamed up with major automakers, including Jaguar Land Rover and Peugeot SA.

Apart from forging partnerships, Lyft is opening a self-driving vehicle development facility in Palo Alto, California, called “Level 5,” a nod to the designation of fully autonomous vehicles that don’t require human supervision. The self-driving Vegas rides available during CES will be staffed by a safety driver in the front seat, the companies said.

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