Teaming With Daimler Will Get Uber to Self-Driving Future Faster, Says CEO

Opening up the Uber platform to Daimler on autonomous driving will get the ride-hailing service “to the future faster than going it alone,” Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said in a Tuesday blog post. “It’s a future in which our cities and roads will be safer, cleaner and more accessible, and we couldn’t be more excited about what’s next.” Uber is incredibly excited by the potential for “self-driving cars to further our mission of bringing reliable transportation to everyone, everywhere,” Kalanick said. “They will also help to reduce traffic accidents, which today kill many people a year; free up the huge amount of space currently used to park the world’s billion-plus cars; and cut congestion, which is choking our cities.” The company “can’t do it alone,” he said. Automakers like Daimler “are crucial to our strategy because Uber has no experience making cars -- and in fact, making cars is really hard,” he said.