USA: Lyft and Benteler Mobility to launch autonomous electric shuttles
Lyft will add autonomous electric shuttles to its platform through a partnership with Benteler Mobility, the mobility-as-a-service subsidiary of the Benteler Group. The initial deployment is scheduled for 2026 in the United States, using Holon-branded autonomous shuttles. These will be integrated into Lyft’s network and deployed at locations including airports and city centres.
Benteler Mobility will provide fleet management services, covering the full lifecycle of the autonomous vehicles. The Holon shuttles are equipped with Mobileye autonomous driving systems. Vehicle financing will be arranged through Benteler Trading International to support the scale-up of autonomous operations on the Lyft platform.
Holon’s dedicated $100 million production site in Jacksonville, Florida, will support manufacturing, with additional capacity available through Benteler’s global production network. The shuttles are built specifically for autonomous operation, in contrast to traditional retrofitting methods.
The agreement also includes the possibility of expanding the vehicle types used in Lyft’s AV service. Benteler Mobility’s manufacturing network and experience with regulatory compliance are expected to support future deployments in other regions.
Testing of the new AV shuttles on Lyft’s network is expected to begin in 2026, subject to regulatory approvals. The collaboration adds to Lyft’s existing AV partnerships, which include May Mobility, Mobileye, Marubeni and Nexar.
“Benteler Mobility is exactly the kind of partner we need to accelerate our AV ambitions,” said Jeremy Bird, Lyft’s Executive Vice President of Driver Experience. “They bring deep manufacturing expertise and the capability to own and operate fleets at scale.”
“We are delighted to be teaming up with Lyft,” said Tobias Liebelt, CEO of Benteler Mobility. “Their commitment to ride-hailing and our AV capabilities will allow us to scale autonomous mobility solutions.”
Things are also moving ahead in Germany. There, two autonomous vehicle models, one of them being the Holon Urban, will hit the road in a dedicated operational area this year. The vehicle itself was first presented at CES in Las Vegas in 2023.
0 Comments