- February 2023: Vay became the first company to drive a car without a person inside on European public streets
- May 2023: Vay opened an office in Las Vegas to explore the US market for its remotely driven door-to-door mobility service
- September 2023: Antonella Siracusa-Rosa is the first locally-hired teledriver in the US
BERLIN/LAS VEGAS, SEPTEMBER 25, 2023. Vay, the leading remote driving (teledriving) company from Germany, hires its first local teledriver in the US. Vay’s teledrivers undergo a thorough training program at the Vay Teledrive Academy to ensure they are equipped with the skills to drive safely and defensively. Vay aims to launch a safe, affordable and convenient door-to-door mobility service in the US, Germany and beyond. Early 2023, Vay became the first company to drive a car with no one inside on European public streets. In May this year, the Berlin-based company opened its office in Las Vegas to explore the US market for its remotely driven mobility service from there.
First teledriver hire in Las Vegas
Antonella Siracusa-Rosa is the first local teledriver to join the Las Vegas team. Antonella, a resident of Las Vegas, brings a wealth of local knowledge and a passion for reimagining the way we approach mobility. Previous experiences include driving for Zoox and the Boring Company. She stated, “I’m absolutely thrilled to embark on this incredible journey as Vay’s first teledriver in the US. Being part of Vay’s outstanding team and sharing in their visionary mission feels like stepping into the future. Together we will change the way people move in cities.”
Caleb Varner, US General Manager at Vay, added, “Having local talent like Antonella on our team strengthens our presence and local understanding in Las Vegas. With Antonella joining the team, it feels like the beginning of something big! Our teledrivers form the essential foundation for delivering our door-to-door mobility service, and all at an affordable and competitive price.”
After successfully attending the Vay Teledrive Academy, Antonella will focus on testing Vay’s teledriving technology on the road, while preparing to launch Vay’s first commercial service in the US.
Vay Teledrive Academy
Anyone who enjoys driving and has held a driver’s license for more than two years can apply to become a teledriver at Vay. The teledriver training program at Vay is comprehensive and structured with the aim of teaching a safe and defensive driving style. It consists of four modules, combining practical exercises, theoretical classroom sessions, and tests to assess candidates’ proficiency.
Modules include:
- Module 1: General introduction for being a teledriver at Vay
- Module 2: Safety Driver training & certification
- Module 3: Teledriver training for private grounds
- Module 4: Teledriver training for public streets & certification
Vay’s first company rule is “safety first,” the second rule is “safety first.” Rigorous training and advanced technology empowers the teledrivers to drive with confidence, always following a safe and defensive driving style.
Teledriving technology
Vay’s teledriving technology enables a remote driver (“the teledriver”) to drive a vehicle from afar (“teledriving”). Teledrivers sit at a teledrive station with a steering wheel, pedals and other vehicle controls developed to meet automotive industry standards. The car surroundings are reproduced via camera sensors and transmitted to the screens of the teledrive station. Road traffic sounds, such as emergency vehicles and other warning signals, are transmitted via microphones to the teledriver’s headphones.
More about the Vay Teledrive Academy here.
For images and further information, please visit: https://vay.io/press/
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About Vay
Vay was the first company to drive a car without a person inside on a public road in Europe, enabled by teledriving (e.g. remote driving) technology. Vay aims to launch a sustainable, affordable, door-to-door mobility service with remotely driven (“teledriven”) cars: Teledrivers bring an electric car to the customer and pick it up after the journey is completed, eliminating the time-consuming search for a parking spot for the customer. While in the car, the customers drive themselves. Vay sees teledriving as an alternative approach to autonomous driving and aims to gradually introduce autonomous functions in its system based on high-quality teledrive data.
Vay was founded in Berlin in 2018 by Thomas von der Ohe, Fabrizio Scelsi and Bogdan Djukic. Vay’s team of 150+ people combines the best of two worlds – software & product experience from Silicon Valley and automotive hardware & safety engineering from Europe. The company has offices in Berlin and Hamburg, Germany, as well as in Las Vegas, USA. Vay raised a USD 95m Series B funding round. Investors include Kinnevik, Coatue, Eurazeo, Atomico, La Famiglia and Creandum as well as prominent business angels such as former Alphabet Chief Financial Officer Patrick Pichette, former member of the Management Board for R&D, Design, CTO of Audi Peter Mertens and Spotify’s Chief Technology & Chief Product Officer Gustav Söderström. www.vay.io
Vay Press Contact
Anja Rechtsteiner
Director of Communications
[email protected] / [email protected]
+49 176 60404217