Momenta To Test Robotaxis Across Germany, Uber Invests More

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We’ve been writing about or mentioning Momenta a lot this week. I think this is the 4th time, and I don’t believe we’ve ever covered it before.

Today we got news that Momenta has received approval from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) to do Level 4 autonomous driving testing across Germany — on urban roads. This is the first Chinese company to receive such approval.

Furthermore, “its safety validation standards will be directly aligned with the European Union’s regulatory framework,” CnEVPost shares. “The KBA is regarded as one of the world’s most stringent transport safety regulators, and its approval is seen as an endorsement of the maturity of Momenta’s technology.”

So, one would expect the company will quickly expand into other European countries, such as the Netherlands, France, and Belgium.

The company actually seems to have targeted Germany in part because of its high standards. “Germany is one of the global benchmarks for autonomous-driving regulation, with a rigorous and comprehensive approach that always puts public safety first,” Momenta CEO Cao Xudong said.

Momenta has partnered with Uber, which has also invested in the autonomous driving company. Together, they plan to launch their first robotaxi service in Europe in Munich. Uber also just increased its investment in Momenta’s wholly owned subsidiary SMB Holding Corporation this month, in the midst of Momenta’s Hong Kong IPO. Momenta raised HK$6.8 billion in its Hong Kong listing on July 8.

“Momenta has spent years building its presence in Germany and has partnerships with Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and Volkswagen Group. Mercedes-Benz invested in the company as early as 2017, becoming its first international automaker investor,” CnEVPost adds.

Momenta’s intention is to use one “World Model” to bring about autonomous driving via robotaxis, robovans, robotrucks, and self-driving consumer cars.