- Vay’s teledriving technology enables driving without a safety driver in the car for the first time in European road traffic
- Germany becomes a pioneer in teledriving technology
- Vay aims to launch an affordable and sustainable door-to-door mobility service
Hamburg, 6th February 2023 – A novelty in Europe: Remotely controlled from the teledrive center, an electric car from Vay drives through Hamburg. For the first time in European road traffic, there is no safety driver in the car. The teledrivers are in full control of the vehicle. They sit at a teledrive station with a car steering wheel and pedals – developed according to automotive industry standards. The teledriven test drives without a safety driver will be performed on a predefined route.
For Vay’s CEO and co-founder Thomas von der Ohe, this drive is a major milestone: “As a leading teledriving company, we have been driving remotely-controlled electric cars on public roads in Berlin and Hamburg for more than three years. With the exemption permit received in December 2022, we were now able to successfully drive the first car without a safety driver on a public road. This is a huge success for the entire team, but also for Hamburg and Europe. In the context of legally enabling new technologies, this is a significant step and Germany is making leaps in taking the global lead in teledriving technology.”
The Authority for Traffic and Mobility Transition (BVM) has issued the exemption permit. Anjes Tjarks, Senator for Traffic and Mobility Transition: “Hamburg is a pioneer in the field of digital and innovative mobility services. We want to offer them where they bring real added value for people in their daily mobility. Vay creates such added value with its teledrive service: no need to search for a parking space, emission-free, digitally bookable and as a convenient service, for example for the ‘last mile’ from the bus or train station to your own front door. I am delighted that Vay has taken another important step towards launching its service and has successfully completed Europe’s first test drives without a safety driver on public roads.” A positive endorsement by TÜV SÜD was the prerequisite for the exemption permit. TÜV SÜD evaluated in particular the functional safety and cybersecurity of the Vay teledrive system in accordance with the ISO 26262 and ISO/SAE 21434 standards.
Vay is building a door-to-door service where customers order an electric vehicle via the Vay app. What’s unique about Vay’s mobility service is that a teledriver brings the car directly to the customer – remotely controlled from the teledrive center. Teledrivers sit at a teledrive station in Hamburg with all the necessary controls. The driver has an overview of the traffic situation via several screens and headphones. Upon arrival of the car, the customer then physically drives themselves to their destination. Once the customer has arrived at their destination, a teledriver takes over the vehicle once again, meaning the time-consuming search for a parking space is eliminated. In terms of cost, Vay’s service is intended to be similarly priced to carsharing offers and to be a convenient alternative to private car ownership in the long term. With Vay’s service, fewer but electric vehicles can transport more people than conventional individual transport within cities. High costs for mobility can be reduced, while road safety can be increased.
Vay press contact
Anja Rechtsteiner
Head of Communications
[email protected] / [email protected]
+49 176 60404217