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Lyft/nuTonomy Partnership Will Bring Automated Vehicles to Boston

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nuTonomy car

nuTonomy’s electric car model soon to hit the streets of Boston 
Photo: nuTonomy

With key manufacturers like Audi and Ford unleashing efforts to test self-driving cars, it comes as no surprise that rideshare service Lyft has joined hands with nuTonomy.

NuTonomy is a budding Boston located startup that spawned from MIT in 2013. It has focused on developing top-notch software for driverless cars. Their ambition is to usher in its own line of autonomous vehicles to revolutionize the public transportation scene, improve road safety, and boost efficiency. Ever since 2016, nuTonomy has been using autonomous taxis in Singapore.


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Apparently, nuTonomy hasn’t been the only contender for Lyft’s allegiance. Lyft has recently partnered with GM and Waymo. But why partner with nuTonomy? Well, the main reason is that nuTonomy and Lyft share a common interest in advancing public transportation and reducing the need for car ownership. As Lyft’s CEO Logan Green puts it: “At Lyft, we imagine a world where car ownership is optional and cities are designed for people instead of cars. Partnering with nuTonomy is an important step towards making this vision a reality.” Green went on to describe nuTonomy as “one of the first movers” in the self-driving car initiative.

NuTonomy has been testing out a self-driving electric car model since early this year. One of their engineers rides in the cars during their test drives, for safety reasons. A couple of the main testing areas are Seaport and Fort Point, as well as the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park.

Both companies plan to start using nuTonomy’s electric cars in the Lyft network during the next few months, starting in the Boston area. It’ll be interesting to track the progress of this latest autonomous vehicle trend.


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Sources: The Verge, nuTonomy