German startup Vay plans to expand its Las Vegas “teledriving” fleet to 100 electric vehicles — and you could get a job driving the cars.
Vay first started the service last year, with only two What will happen. The fleet has now grown to 30 electric vehicles, which have completed 6,000 journeys to date.
When you open the Vay app and request a ride, a remote operator drives an electric vehicle to pick you up. Then you sit behind the empty driver's seat and make your way to your destination.
Once you have finished using the electric vehicle, apply the handbrake, get out and leave it theree street, no parking required. The Teledriver takes control again and moves on to the next customer.
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Teledrivers control the vehicles remotely from a purpose-built station equipped with a driver's seat, steering wheel, pedals and three monitors that provide visibility in front and to the side of the vehicle.
The perfect job for gamers?
Traffic noises such as emergency vehicles and other warning signals are transmitted via microphones to the teledriver's headphones. This operator could technically be located on the other side of the world. Most will be at one of Vay's teledriving centers nearby.
As part of the expansion, Vay is looking for more teledrivers to transport empty cars around Sin City. According to a recent Job advertisement You can find out how you could land the gig on the company's website:
- You enjoy driving (and consider yourself a safe and responsible driver). Safety comes first, then second and third!
- You will be happy to work the late shift (afternoon and evening) as we require this for this role.
- You have a US driver's license, a clean driving record and at least two years of driving experience with Uber, Lyft, taxi or similar.
- You can pass a drug test (including THC).
- You're into gaming (or at least very familiar with technology).
- You are organized and well structured.
- You are resilient and have a troubleshooting mindset.
- You have Google Workplace skills (e.g. G-Docs, Sheets and/or Slides).
- You are interested in autonomous driving and mobility.
If you get the job, you'll have to go through Vay's Long Distance Driving Academy. The boot camp prepares remote drivers for professional remote driving on public roads and trains them in defensive driving techniques.
Vay sees teledriving as a middle ground between conventional cars and autonomous vehicles, which are proving to be far more capable difficult to implement than first thought. The company is also making its first foray into remote-controlled trucking.
Drivers may find it more comfortable – and certainly safer – to sit behind a screen in an office than to sit behind the wheel of a real car or truck.
It could be for customers a cheaper and more convenient alternative to traditional car sharing. Vay says the service costs half as much as an Uber. Customers in Vegas pay $0.30 per minute for travel and $0.03 per minute for stopovers. There is no minimum length or distance and rentals are available for up to 12 hours.
Var claims that this allows operators of short-term car rental or sharing services to double the life of vehicles, thereby increasing revenue.
Vay is the only company to have ever tested a self-driving vehicle on public roads in Europe and the United States. Las Vegas was the first city to give the green light for commercial operations, and Vay hopes to use that as a springboard into the broader U.S. market.
Vay also has big plans for Europe – starting with his home country. The company is currently in discussions with German authorities about a domestic launch.
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