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Lyft Plans Palo Alto Hardware, Software Jobs for Autonomous Vehicles

Lyft says that it will develop its own autonomous driving technology and open a laboratory in Palo Alto to build the hardware and software.

Lyft says it will develop its own autonomous driving technology and will open a laboratory in Palo Alto to build the hardware and software.


Lyft's plan to build in-house self-driving technology is a pivot from what has been a strategy of primarily focusing on building partnerships with car manufacturers, like General Motors and Jaguar Land Rover, and self-driving-car startups like nuTonomy.

The move comes as its main competitor, ride-hailing giant Uber, runs rudderless after its founder, Travis Kalanick, resigned last month. Uber began testing self-driving cars last year.

Lyft executives said the firm remains committed to its partnerships while working on its own self-driving technology.

"I don't think this is a zero-sum game," said Taggert Matthisen, Lyft's senior director of product. "It is so early in this industry right now."

Lyft's first major step in building its own technology will be the laboratory in Palo Alto, dubbed Level 5. Lyft says it will employ several hundred people by the end of 2018. The lab is expected to open "in a few weeks," the company said.

"This is a unique time for Lyft to take the lead," said Raj Kapoor, Lyft's chief strategy officer. "Level 5 is the ultimate level in building autonomous vehicles. It's going to be a center that's going to open to working with partners."

In a news briefing last week, Lyft preached a hybrid system in which human drivers will take over self-driving cars in locations and situations deemed too chaotic and difficult for machines.

"The hard reality is that every street, every route is not the same," Matthiesen said. "If there is rain or a Giants game happening nearby, that's not an ideal situation for autonomous vehicles early on."

Lyft's focus on finding a balance is also apparent in how it says it will work with its partners. Lyft said it has been sharing its application codes with its smart car-building partners so that they can plug Lyft into their future car models.

And Lyft said that if its in-house self-driving technology reaches maturity, it will rely on the automobile industry to build a car rather than building one itself.

"Lyft is not getting into the business of manufacturing a car," said Kapoor. "This isn't about bring one car, two cars or 100 cars to San Francisco. The auto industry has done a fantastic job in safety and reliability for many, many years, and we respect that."

(c)2017 the San Jose Mercury News, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.