Mobileye, Volkswagen Establish Champion Joint Venture
The Israeli government has approved three companies' project proposals.
Service development began in 2019, with commercialization planned for 2022.

Intel subsidiary Mobileye, Volkswagen Group, and Champion Motors announced on the 31st that they will introduce Israel's first autonomous ride-hailing service (Mobility-as-a-Service, MaaS) starting in 2019.

To this end, the three companies are pursuing the establishment of a joint venture, which is subject to approval from relevant authorities and agencies. The joint venture, to be operated under the name "New Mobility in Israel," received official approval from the Israeli government at a private event held at the "Smart Mobility Summit" in Tel Aviv.

The Volkswagen Group plans to offer electric vehicles and provide in-depth knowledge and capabilities in designing and implementing user-centric mobility services.

Mobileye will provide a Level 4 AV Kit, a turnkey fully autonomous driving solution consisting of hardware, driving policy, safety software, and map data.

Champion Motors is responsible for operating the vehicle operations and control center. The three companies plan to provide a seamless ride experience as they introduce comprehensive MaaS services by adding mobility platforms and services, content, and other MaaS tools.
The Israeli government will support the project in three key areas: providing legal and regulatory support, sharing necessary infrastructure and transportation data, and providing access to necessary infrastructure.

New Mobility in Israel will be Israel's first commercial MaaS service based on autonomous vehicles, and all support and related regulations will apply to other companies considering operating MaaS in Israel.

Mobileye, Volkswagen, and Champion Motors plan to use New Mobility in Israel as a global beta site for testing autonomous electric vehicle-based Mobility as a Service (MaaS). The project is slated to begin in early 2019 and scale up with the goal of commercialization by 2022. New Mobility in Israel plans to increase its fleet of autonomous electric vehicles from dozens to hundreds through a phased rollout.

This initiative leverages the impact of several emerging trends in the automotive industry, including autonomous vehicle platforms that are transforming how cars are controlled, electric vehicles that are transforming how cars are driven, and MaaS that is transforming how we approach mobility.

“We are excited to partner with a global automaker to develop a groundbreaking mobility service,” said Professor Amnon Shashua, Mobileye CEO and Intel senior vice president. “This service aims to intelligently and dynamically reflect the mobility needs of 21st century cities, meeting the demand for urban mobility and range while minimizing direct and indirect social costs such as air pollution, noise, congestion, and safety.”

“We are convinced that autonomous electric vehicles will offer Israel and major cities around the world a safe, clean, emission-free, accessible and convenient way of mobility,” said Dr. Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen Group. “We are very excited about this partnership with our local partners Mobileye and Champion Motors in Israel.”

“Champion Motors is investing in automotive technology and smart mobility to continue providing Israeli customers with the best, most cutting-edge products and services in this field,” said Professor Itzhak Swary, Chairman of Champion Motors. “We are delighted to be partnering with Mobileye and Volkswagen and look forward to strengthening our collaboration through this pilot project.”