Engineering teams from Toyota and Aurora say they have defined the requirements of the self-driving passenger vehicle Aurora intends to launch on ride-hailing networks in late 2024.
Aurora shared the first look of the Toyota Sienna powered by the Aurora Driver, designed for a convenient and comfortable ride-hailing experience. Aurora says the vehicle represents a significant milestone in Aurora's path to commercializing Aurora-powered Toyota vehicles explicitly designed for ride-hailing.
When Aurora announced its long-term, global, strategic collaboration with Toyota earlier this year, they set out to develop a self-driving car for autonomous ride-hailing. Built upon the progress made by Toyota and Uber ATG, and the integration process Aurora established in the Aurora Driver Development Program, the company's say they have moved faster than anticipated toward their goal. In collaboration with Toyota's world-class engineering team, Aurora has defined the requirements to enable the Toyota S-AM, a Hybrid Electric platform to be safely operated by the Aurora Driver.
Aurora is now integrating its Driver with Toyota's first S-AM vehicles, fresh off of Toyota's production line. As progress is made with Toyota through the Aurora Driver Development Program, Aurora will expand testing of this prototype, refine it through pilots, validate it according to its Safety Case Framework and Toyota's safety standards, and expect to launch it ride-hailing networks at scale.
Aurora says it combines the deep experience of Toyota's engineering and research teams with its expertise in safely developing a robust autonomous system to conceive a comfortable, convenient, and safe ride experience.
Over the next six months, Aurora will test and mature this initial development fleet in Pittsburgh, Dallas, the Bay Area, and additional locations.
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