Lyft, the second largest US ridesharing company, is partnering with automated driving platform developers Aptiv. (Formerly Delphi) The Aptiv "point-to-point" platform will be integrated into Lyfts app. They will use this new hybrid to offer rides for the attendees of the show. Aptiv claims that their software will "accelerate the availability of automated driving platforms for commercial applications."
Aptiv intends to present to the public their fully-automated ride-hailing service at the 2018 CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas this month. Lyft is in an intense race for the first fully automated driverless car trying to beat Uber to the line. Lyft sees autonomous vehicles (AV's) as the next step in transportation evolution, where companies like Lyft will be able to operate fleets of AV's for millions of rides a day.
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Aptiv was formed in December 2017 when Delphi Automotive Plc split, and Aptiv sought out a partner that will help it capitalize on the latest tech fashion: AV technology companies. The former Delphi was already working with Lyft when it bought out NuTonomy Inc for $450 million. NuTonomy is a Lyft partner that specializes in designing autonomous vehicle systems. This combination of Lyft and Aptiv together with carmakers Jaguar Land Rover and Peugeot are Lyft's gambit to reach fully self-sufficient AV's before Uber. Lyft is opening their AV research center "level 5" in Palo Alto, California to help speed up their chances of reaching a fully autonomous vehicle that does not require a safety driver on standby.