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The partnership will see Verizon’s 5G tech embedded within Vay’s remotely driven electric vehicle fleet
This week, Verizon Business has announced a new partnership with German start-up Vay Technology, aiming to provide the latter’s remotely operated electric vehicle fleet with 5G technology.
Berlin-based start-up Vay Technology was founded in 2019 with the idea of introducing a ‘new approach to driverless mobility’.
Using Vay’s app, customers can hire a remotely operated car, which is then driven to their location by a remote driver. This driver is located at a dedicated teledrive station, where they control the vehicle using a steering wheel and pedals, as well as screens linked to on-board cameras. On arrival, the customer then takes control of the vehicle and drives it for as long as they like, paying by the minute. Once they no longer need the vehicle, they use the app to return control to the remote driver.
Vay promises customers their journey will be ‘half the price of Uber’, according to the company website.
The company launched services in Las Vegas in January and this location is the focus of Verizon’s partnership with the company today.
“Vay’s unique operational model shows the importance of mobile connectivity for the future of transportation. From Vay’s app-based user interface to their high-tech teledriving command centers to the vehicle fleet itself, connectivity touches all corners of the business,” said TJ Fox, Senior Vice President of Industrial IoT and Automotive at Verizon Business. “We’re thrilled to work with a company as innovative as Vay, which can use our unrivaled network to fuel their expansions throughout the U.S.”
Verizon says that its 5G connectivity will be used by Vay for “data-intensive, mission-critical workloads such as providing mobility solutions for teleoperation-capable cars; transmitting telematics or diagnostic information from vehicles to Vay and/or Vay customers; and transmitting over-the-air updates to software and firmware in Vay vehicles”.
As part of the deal, Verizon will also provide Vay with custom data tariffs for the vehicles.
“Verizon’s coverage, performance and network reliability are essential for handling the data load inherent to teleoperating our fleet to the highest standards of safety and capability,” said Thomas von der Ohe, Vay co-founder and CEO.
Verizon has been increasingly exploring the connected vehicle market in recent years, announcing formal partnerships with Audi and Sony Honda Mobility earlier this year at Mobile World Congress.
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