Self-driving supplier Mobileye targets U.S. robotaxi launch in 2027

Self-driving technology supplier Mobileye Global said Tuesday it would launch its own robotaxi service, planning to deploy an initial 100-vehicle fleet into a major U.S. city in 2027.

The company said the first launch will be phased throughout next year, after which they’ll aim to scale the fleet to roughly 17,000 vehicles over the next five years.

Shares of the Jerusalem-based company rose around 6% following the announcement.

“We believe there is an opportunity for a new approach — one built on deep autonomous-driving expertise, strong industry partnerships, and proven capabilities across the mobility ecosystem,” said Mobileye’s CEO Amnon Shashua in a statement.

The move will put Mobileye in direct competition with some of the customers that use its Mobileye Drive technology in their cars.

The company said the move doesn’t change its commitment to supplying its customers.

In a release, Mobileye said it views the competition as a “complementary path to market,” adding that it can “further demonstrate the capabilities of the Mobileye Drive platform at scale.”

The market for U.S. robotaxi services has been growing rapidly as competitors like Alphabet’s Waymo, Amazon’s Zoox, Tesla and more race to expand into more cities and notch new ridehailing partnerships.

Waymo is far ahead of its competitors, currently operating across 11 U.S. cities. The company is now planning its first international expansions to London and Tokyo this year, and in June announced a new $29.99 a month subscription tier for avid users in cities where demand is high.

Zoox announced a new partnership through the Uber app in Las Vegas, starting this summer.

Elon Musk’s automaker Tesla is trailing its peers, with about 50 autonomous vehicles authorized for driverless ridehailing in Texas, about one-tenth the size of Waymo’s fleet in the state.

CNBC’s Jennifer Elias and Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.