Vay is a German teledriving rideshare company, originally based in Berlin, that has taken a remote-first approach to driverless vehicles, with an operator driving one of the EVs in the fleet from a dedicated hub.
Although Vay is working to gradually add more autonomous driving features to its system as they are approved, its service currently relies on teledrivers whose focus is on driverless delivery of rental EVs to customers. Those customers can then get in the EV, drive off, and park it when they are done, allowing Vay to get back in and remotely drive the vehicle back to base.
After operating its first driverless vehicle in Hamburg last February, Vay declared itself the first and only company to do so on European roads. As an encore last May, Vay followed up with plans to operate in the United States. Now, the company has officially hired its first teledriver in the United States.
Vay introduced Antonella Siracusa-Rosa as its very first US teledriver after completing a thorough training program via the company’s teledrive academy. Siracusa-Rosa is the first of hopefully many future drivers to operate out of Vay’s Las Vegas headquarters, which officially began operations this past May.
Vay’s first US teledriver is no stranger to mobility startups, having worked at both Zoox and Elon Musk’s Boring Company. Siracusa-Rosa spoke about her latest role:
"I’m absolutely thrilled to embark on this incredible journey as Vay’s first teledriver in the US. Being part of Vay’s outstanding team and sharing in their visionary mission feels like stepping into the future. Together we will change the way people move in cities."
With her new role established, Siracusa-Rosa will hone her focus on testing Vay’s teledriving technology on the road as the company looks to begin operations of its first commercial service in the US.
When commercial operations begin, Siracusa-Rosa will be the first remotely delivering EVs to rental car customers in Las Vegas and possibly beyond as the company looks to expand its service throughout the US in the future.
Source: Vay
