German startup bets on remote driver tech with invisible man concept

Photo: Reuters

Vay, a seven-year-old startup from Germany, is working on a new idea to change how we think about road transportation. Instead of a driver sitting in the car, Vay uses a remote driver, meaning a person controls the car from an office using TV monitors. This idea is different from self-driving cars like robotaxis that you may have seen in some cities.

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Over the past year, Vay has allowed people in Las Vegas to try out their remote driving system. The company even showed its technology at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which is one of the biggest tech events in the world.

Thomas von der Ohe, the CEO and co-founder of Vay, explained that his company's system is a cheaper alternative to autonomous driving, which doesn’t require running expensive simulations to make sure it’s safe. Unlike self-driving companies, Vay focuses on remote driving, where a human driver makes decisions to keep the car safe.

Vay’s approach is different from companies like Tesla or Waymo because they still use a steering wheel, and a person is always in control. In fact, during rides, the steering wheel turns and moves as though it's being operated by a person who’s not inside the car – kind of like the Invisible Man is driving.

Instead of using expensive technology like Lidar (used by many self-driving companies), Vay uses basic camera technology. The system costs much less and provides the same results. To show how it works, Vay demonstrated a remote driving session where the driver sat in front of three screens showing live images from the front, side, and rear cameras of the car. The driver then controlled the car using a steering wheel and pedals, similar to a racing simulator game.

Vay is offering its rides for half the price of services like Uber and Lyft. They hope to make a profit in the next one or two years, depending on how quickly they can expand.

Since launching in Las Vegas, the company has grown its fleet from just two cars to 30, completing over 6,000 rides. However, Von der Ohe believes that ride-hailing won’t be the main way Vay makes money. Instead, he thinks the company will make money by delivering cars to customers who then drive them themselves, kind of like renting a car.

This flexibility, where customers can have cars delivered to their homes and drive them, makes Vay a potential alternative to owning a private car. With this unique approach, Vay is hoping to change the way people think about getting around.

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