Bringing a 'Safety First' Approach to Self-Driving car Technology - Vay CEO Thomas von der Ohe

When it comes to self-driving car transport, Vay is taking a very different path to most of the established companies. Founded in Berlin in 2018, it is one of the highest funded startups in Europe developing teledriving technology. It raised $95 million in Series B funding in December, 2021. Teledriving is seen as an alternative approach to autonomous driving.

"Vay is using the funding to not only develop its teledrive technology, but to also grow the team with a strong focus on its engineering team and capabilities,"  Vay CEO, Thomas von der Ohe, tells Auto Futures.

This is how Vay's teledriving technology works. Cars without safety drivers are remotely controlled from VAY'S teledrive centre. Its teledrivers control the cars with steering wheel and pedals – developed according to automotive industry standards. 

"With our teledrive-first-approach we aim to offer a sustainable and safe service that can be an alternative to existing mobility services. However, we aim to gradually introduce autonomous driving functions in our system as it is safe and permitted to do so. Also, our teledrive technology cost is very low compared to autonomous driving and will further reduce as we scale the fleet," explains von der Ohe.

Vay's team of 150+ people combines software and product experience from Silicon Valley and automotive hardware and safety engineering from Europe. The company has offices in Berlin and Hamburg, Germany, as well as in Portland, US.

Building a Door-to-Door Service

For more than three year Vay has been operating remotely-controlled electric cars on public roads in the cities of Berlin and Hamburg. It  recently received a permit from the city of Hamburg for teledriven test rides minus a safety driver.

"We now conduct test drives in a predefined area in Hamburg without a safety driver in the car," says von der Ohe.

The company is building a door-to-door service where customers order an electric vehicle via the Vay app. A teledriver brings the car directly to the customer. Upon arrival of the car, the customer then physically drives themselves to their destination. Once the customer has arrived at their destination, a teledriver takes back control of the vehicle.

"Safety is also at the core of our teledrive training & certification process, the Vay Teledrive Academy. All our teledrivers undergo extensive professional training and learn how to follow  a safe and defensive driving style. Teledrivers work in a teledrive center, which is designed to ensure high safety. They work regular hours, take frequent breaks and are free from distractions," he says.

"We always strive for high safety in everything we do. Our first company rule is 'safety first', the second rule is 'safety first'. We develop our teledrive technology in order to fulfill applicable safety requirements and to provide customers a reliable mobility service. In this context, Vay has received a positive endorsement from TÜV SÜD for functional safety and cybersecurity in accordance with the ISO 26262 and ISO/SAE 21434 standards."

Vay's service also means that less time is wasted on trying to find parking spaces.

"We aim to offer a sustainable and safe service that stands for less cars and a viable mobility turnaround. 95% of the cars in cities are parked. In contrast, teledriving technology allows Vay's electric fleet to be highly-utilised. This can help to reduce the overall amount of cars in cities, CO2 emissions, and air and noise pollution," notes von der Ohe.

Vay's Commercial Roll-Out Plans

Vay wants to create an affordable and sustainable mobility service that excites its customers, says von der Ohe.

"We are the first company in Europe that has received an exemption permit for teledriven test rides and has successfully driven the first car without a safety driver on European public roads. Now we can conduct more tests in a predefined area in Hamburg-Bergedorf without a safety driver to further develop our technology."

"We aim to launch a teledriven mobility service that will start in Hamburg. We aim to expand our service to other cities and countries. We are excited about the interest that we receive from customers and cities all over the world," he adds.

Von der Ohe offered up his thoughts on what Vay wants to achieve by the end ot the decade.

"Vay wants to change the way we move in cities with a different approach towards autonomous driving called teledriving. Our mission is to bring our sustainable, affordable and door-to-door mobility services to your city. We want to solve transportation in metropolitan areas," he concludes.