Robotáxis have already arrived in London (but are not yet 100% autonomous)

YEAH a new step in the expansion of autonomous taxis. Uber and Wayve are already operating their robot taxi trips in London, capital of the United Kingdom since Thursday (3 September).

For now, vehicles are not as autonomous as you might expect by name: require a human supervisor on board. Ford Mustang Mach-E electrics are used with Wayve's AI Driver automation system.

When a robotaxis is allocated to a user, it can exchange it for a normal vehicle. But if you keep it, wait for the vehicle, unlock the doors and start the journey, in a process fully done through the official Uber application.

At first, the human supervisor on board is not discharged: he is a licensed and trained private driver responsible for supervising the journey.

The beginning will be modest, with few cars, but the goal is to reach a growth grounded with time, depending on demand, regulations and conditions.

It should be remembered that robots, which are already widespread in countries such as the United States of America, are now taking the first steps in Europe. In Portugal, a legal framework has entered into force this year to allow tests on public roads.

The car summary

The Ford Mustang Mach-E announces autonomy of up to 615 km (775 km in urban environment), with a 73 kWh battery that can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in just over half an hour.

In terms of performance, 268 cv are announced, which allow you to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds and reach 180 km/h maximum speed. It consumes more than 18 kWh/100 km.

This American car takes up to five people on board, it takes 402 liters in the trunk (1.345 liters with the rear seats hit).

Prices in Portugal now start at EUR 53.935 – with diverse equipment from parking system to cameras, passing the onboard screens (10.2 inches for the instrument panel and 15.5 inches for smartphone infoentertainment and connection via Android Auto/Apple CarPlay). There's a wireless charger for cell phones.