Ride-hailing company Uber Technologies will begin using self-driving cars from China's WeRide in its Abu Dhabi fleet later this year, expanding the emirate's autonomous public transport options and boosting its sustainability push.
The rides will be initially available on Saadiyat Island and Yas Island, with plans to expand further. The companies did not confirm if the expansion would be within Abu Dhabi or also further across the UAE.
The self-driving vehicles will deliver “much needed, affordable, sustainable and safe mobility solutions to a global audience”, said Tony Han, founder and chief executive of WeRide.
The start date of operations will be announced closer to launch and the number of autonomous cars to be deployed in Abu Dhabi has not been disclosed.
Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi, told The National in June, that he expected the option of autonomous vehicles to be available in the UAE “soon”, expressing optimism in its self-driving strategy in the Middle East “over the next five to 10 years”.
The UAE aims to become a leader in smart mobility systems as part of its efforts to boost both sustainability and adopt the latest technology.
Abu Dhabi already has its own fleet of driverless taxis on Yas Island run by TXAI, the UAE's first driverless taxi service. During 2022's Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, TXAI operated a driverless bus service to carry fans.
Meanwhile, WeRide was granted the first preliminary national licence for self-driving cars by the UAE Cabinet in July 2023.
At the time, WeRide said it was to begin testing all types of autonomous vehicles on UAE roads, including robotaxis, robobuses, robovans and robosweepers. Later that month, it unveiled plans to rapidly expand its presence in the country, particularly by putting hundreds of vehicles on the roads by 2025.
Guangzhou-based WeRide manufactures vehicles with level-4 autonomy – one step below full autonomy, which is when a car is entirely capable of driving itself without the intervention of a human.
In October last year, Abu Dhabi also unveiled the Smart and Autonomous Vehicles Industry (Savi) cluster at clean energy hub Masdar City, aimed at establishing the emirate as a major centre for the development of high-tech vehicles.
It is also aimed at helping the emirate diversify its economy and create thousands of jobs: the multi-modal hub is expected to contribute between Dh90 billion and Dh120 billion ($24.5 billion and $32.7 billion) to the UAE's economy and generate up to 50,000 jobs, officials said at the time.
Meanwhile, Dubai also began supervised testing of driverless vehicles on its public roads in October last year after US self-driving tech company Cruise, which is backed by General Motors and Honda Motor, was issued with a trial permit.
San Francisco-based Uber said last month it will include Cruise robotaxis in its US fleet in 2025. The company has been offering driverless cars in Phoenix, Arizona, on its platform since October last year through an agreement with Alphabet's Waymo.
Uber will continue to work with other self-driving technology companies, “to help bring the benefits of autonomous technology to cities around the world”, Mr Khosrowshahi said in Wednesday's statement.
The value of the global autonomous vehicle market is projected to hit more than $13.6 trillion by 2030, from an estimated $1.92 trillion in 2023, growing at a compound annual rate of 32.3 per cent, data from Fortune Business Insights shows.
The specs: 2019 Lincoln MKC
Price, base / as tested: Dh169,995 / Dh192,045
Engine: Turbocharged, 2.0-litre, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 253hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 389Nm @ 2,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.7L / 100km
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Kalra's feat
- Becomes fifth batsman to score century in U19 final
- Becomes second Indian to score century in U19 final after Unmukt Chand in 2012
- Scored 122 in youth Test on tour of England
- Bought by Delhi Daredevils for base price of two million Indian rupees (Dh115,000) in 2018 IPL auction
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
GROUPS AND FIXTURES
Group A
UAE, Italy, Japan, Spain
Group B
Egypt, Iran, Mexico, Russia
Tuesday
4.15pm: Italy v Japan
5.30pm: Spain v UAE
6.45pm: Egypt v Russia
8pm: Iran v Mexico
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Final results:
Open men
Australia 94 (4) beat New Zealand 48 (0)
Plate men
England 85 (3) beat India 81 (1)
Open women
Australia 121 (4) beat South Africa 52 (0)
Under 22 men
Australia 68 (2) beat New Zealand 66 (2)
Under 22 women
Australia 92 (3) beat New Zealand 54 (1)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
