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Steep hills, unpredictable weather, and shifting express lanes complicate driving in Seattle, but will autonomous vehicles handle the city’s challenging streets more effectively? We may soon find the answer.
Steve Banfield, the CEO of ReachNow—part of BMW and focused on innovative transportation solutions—announced at Seattle’s Economic Forecast Conference that the city will be the initial testing ground for BMW’s self-driving cars. This information comes from GeekWire’s Nat Levy, who covered the annual event organized by the Economic Development Council of Seattle & King County.
According to Banfield, “The advantage of having ReachNow in your area is that you’ll be among the first to experience BMW’s autonomous vehicles. We will bring them here for testing and usage.”
However, there may be nuances to his statement. BMW has plans to test 40 autonomous vehicles in Munich this year and has also secured testing permits in California. It’s possible Banfield was referring to Seattle being the first location to evaluate an autonomous ride-hailing service from the company, given that ReachNow is testing a non-autonomous ride-hailing program in Seattle. As the company’s base is in Seattle, it seems logical to start testing self-driving cars in a city where it is already developing an Uber-like service.
In addition to self-driving vehicle trials, ReachNow will introduce dedicated BMW cars at various commercial sites across Seattle, akin to services like ZipCar and GM’s Maven, and is already piloting this concept in Brooklyn’s condominiums and apartment buildings. Currently, ReachNow operates a “free-floating” car-sharing fleet, allowing users to park cars at any valid parking spot within its designated area..
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