NO: Mercedes Doesn’t Operate Robotaxis in Abu Dhabi

Mercedes has announced that Mercedes S-Class vehicles will be used in robotaxi operations in Abu Dhabi starting next year. The distribution of partners Lumo, Momenta, and Mercedes is as follows:

• Lumo operates the robotaxi service;
• Mercedes-Benz provides the S-Class vehicles;
• Momenta brings its proprietary self-driving technology into play.

This breakdown shows who is contributing which technology to this partnership. Lumo is a taxi company in the United Arab Emirates that will take over operations. Mercedes-Benz is supplying S-Class vehicles. And who is providing the brain of the car, i.e., the AI-based self-driving technology? No, it’s not Mercedes-Benz, but the Chinese company Momenta. Let me explain:

Firstly, Momenta’s autonomous driving technology is not a technology stack developed by Mercedes, but by the Chinese company Momenta, which has already entered into partnerships with other car manufacturers such as SAIC, Nissan, Honda, Audi, and BMW. This is proprietary Momenta technology.

Secondly the robot taxi service operated by Lumo is initially only planned as a test phase before being expanded to other regions. However, this also means that safety drivers will initially be present in the vehicle, ready to take control at any time. Only after a test phase with and without passengers will it be possible to remove the safety driver. These phases usually take at least one to two years, and at least two to three phases will be necessary.

Thirdly, apart from providing vehicles and technical support for the integration of Momenta’s self-driving system into MB.OS, which allows access to the various control components of the S-Class, Mercedes has played a relatively minor role in the development of Momenta’s self-driving technology.

In other words, before we fall into (patriotic) celebrations of Mercedes’ entry into the robotaxi market, nothing could be further from the truth. Mercedes is not operating the service—that’s being done by Lumo—nor does the self-driving technology, i.e., the brain of the robotaxi, come from Mercedes, nor will the cars be driving driverless on the streets of Abu Dhabi for the first two to three years at least.

Does this remind us of anything? Yes! The same applies to MOIA, whose ID.Buzz AD vehicle platform comes from VW’s parent company, and whose self-driving technology comes from the Israeli-American manufacturer Mobileye. I have already reported on this and a realistic timetable.

This article was also published in German.