By James Ochoa Autoblog
VW's electric Bus tribute EV might be your next Uber [without a driver] starting next year in L.A.
One of the most significant transportation-centric pet projects with the undivided attention of automakers, Silicon Valley's tech overlords, and Wall Street's biggest bears and bulls is the futuristic, Jetsons-esque technology of autonomous vehicles, or Robotaxis.
At an event held by HSBC in Hong Kong last month, ARK Investment's Cathie Wood, one of the most bullish A.I. investors on Wall Street, said that the market behind A.I.-driven robotaxis could be worth up to $10 trillion and can drive the stock price of companies like Tesla up to $2,600 per share.
The optimistic "anything is possible" environment driving autonomous vehicle and robotaxi tech has attracted automakers and techies alike, including Volkswagen, which has been quietly working on its in-house self-driving tech for more than a decade. However, Vee-Dub has announced that it is getting ready to deploy its latest driverless tech with a partner you may be familiar with.
Your Uber is here, and it's an ID. Buzz
The German automaker's autonomous mobility subsidiary, Volkswagen ADMT, LLC, will be partnering with the popular ridesharing and transportation technology platform Uber to deploy a fleet of special autonomous-driving-capable vehicles based on the ID. Buzz electric minivan dubbed the ID. Buzz AD.
Uber's new service will debut in Los Angeles, with additional regions to follow, but curious riders will have to wait until late next year to actually book the ID. Buzz AD on the ride-hailing platform. Until this happens, real-world testing of the Uber-branded ID. Buzz AD robotaxis will begin later this year.
Though the intention is to remove humans from driving these otherwise driverless cars, actual humans will be supervising rides during the testing and initial stages of the vehicles picking up paying customers. VW said in its statement that operators will be tasked with identifying any last-minute adjustments and taking the wheel in situations where passenger safety can be threatened.
Volkswagen isn't the first (or last) automaker to be involved with robotaxis
Volkswagen is not the only automaker that has actively dipped its toes into the Wild West robotaxi market. Google's Waymo is getting a fleet of new Hyundai IONIQ 5s, and GM was the marquee investor in the robotaxi startup Cruise, which was closed late last year due to the exorbitant costs and risks associated with the project.
"We looked at the amount of money to deploy a robotaxi business and to maintain that business and grow it, it's quite a bit of capital," GM CEO Mary Barra told analysts on a call in December 2024. "A robotaxi business is not GM's core business."
GM previously had goals of making a sizable chunk of its revenue from running a robotaxi service and selling electric vehicles by 2030; however, an incident in October 2023 stopped this plan in its tracks. In a freak accident, a Cruise robotaxi roaming San Francisco struck an injured pedestrian and dragged her 20 feet after she got hit by another car while crossing the street.
Unfortunately, the trapped pedestrian was pinned under the Chevy Bolt and pulled across the road, leaving her with substantial injuries. On October 24, the California Department of Motor Vehicles suspended Cruise's AV deployment and driverless testing permits, prompting the service to cease operating in the Bay Area and voluntarily cease services in other cities. VW is taking a more cautious approach to its robotaxis, stating in its release that each step of the development process on the public roads "will proceed only after any necessary regulatory approvals have been received."
However, unlike Tesla's "I, Robot" Robotaxi endeavors, which rely on a version of the brand's camera-dependent Full-Self Driving system, the latest version of the autonomous VW ID. Buzz is full of gadgetry that Elon Musk thinks is too expensive and unnecessary for Tesla.
The new VW ID. Buzz AD, which Uber will commission, features modifications resulting from a partnership with Mobileye for SAE Level 4 autonomy. These include 13 cameras, nine LIDAR sensors, five radar sensors, and redundant systems for braking, steering, and power supply.
"Volkswagen is not just a car manufacturer-we are shaping the future of mobility, and our collaboration with Uber accelerates that vision," Volkswagen Autonomous Mobility CEO Christian Senger said in a statement. "What really sets us apart is our ability to combine the best of both worlds-high-volume manufacturing expertise with cutting-edge technology and a deep understanding of urban mobility needs."
Final thoughts
It is fascinating that Volkswagen is getting in on the Robotaxi action, mainly since GM pulled out of the business in late 2024 and absorbed some Cruise staff into teams working on its Super Cruise assisted driving service.
But I think a bigger question than whether I am willing to ride in one (the answer is both yes and no, but I lean more toward yes) is whether or not this can prop up exposure for the ID. Buzz itself. Let's face it: In the first quarter of 2025, VW sold just 1,901 of these $61,545 peace and love electric hippie-mobile throwback machines in the U.S., woefully underselling 7-seat rivals like the Kia EV9.
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This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 3:55 PM.
