A futuristic form of on-demand transportation is very real, and it’s available now.
Halois a different kind of car rental service — one that puts a new spin on the thought of driverless vehicles . position an order , and an employee will aviate an electric railway car via remote ascendency to wherever you are in Downtown Las Vegas . hop-skip behind the steering wheel , and you ’re devoid to employ the vehicle for however long you care .
" The elevator car comes to you when you want , where you want , " CEO & Founder Anand Nandakumar say . " That ’s it . "
The outback drivers operate from the second story of Halo ’s headquarters in theDowntown Arts District , using FTE and 5 gram technology to communicate with the car . The way is dreary to discourage conversation and distraction , almost like a movie theater . Each pilot sits in front of a organisation that resembles an ripe adaptation of a video arcade driving biz , complete with a steering wheel and groundwork pedals . Each railway car has three camera in the front and three cameras in the arse , give the remote driver a full 360 - academic degree scene of the vehicle ’s surroundings , with radio detection and ranging and ultrasonics put up additional data .
Photo coutesy of Halo
Another interpretation of the inspection and repair , with cars miss off and retrieve by an literal in - person equipment driver , is in event throughout the rest of the Las Vegas Valley , excluding the airport . Either way , once you have the car , you could force back it to wherever you like — the Strip , Hoover Dam , Red Rock Canyon , even out of state — as long as you return it somewhere in Las Vegas .
The price is $ 12 per hour ( with a four - minute minimum ) or a flat $ 92 per day . taxis and insurance are extra . A sporty , all - galvanic Kia Niro subcompact car arrives with a full charge , and customers are n’t required to " refill " the battery when returning the fomite . However , if you ask a boost while on the road , the eV are compatible with Level 2 and story 3 courser , which are common in Strip casino parking garage .
" There are two types of customers we ’re tracking at the moment . " Nandakumar says . " The first is tourists who are coming into Vegas and finger it ’s good for them to have a machine . The second is locals . They already have a car but have friends or family call and require a second elevator car . "
Photo courtesy of Halo
While that 2d market is a welcome surprise , it could be a equipment driver of long - full term revenue . Nandakumar believes that once the servicing catches on , it will promote two - railcar home to let go of the extra vehicle . The CEO notes that price is the top rationality people are hesitant to grease one’s palms galvanic cars for themselves , and services like Halo will give sustainable driving a cost increase .
" The tenacious terminal figure goal of the ship’s company is to transition the domain away from gasoline cars to electric cars as fast as possible , " he says .
Halo is also exploring a rideshare model in the near future , in which client could pay per ride or book myopic sentence anatomy with the flexibility to stop for lunch , run errand , or pick up champion along the way . " We ’ll be able to offer that 50 % gaudy than a regular Uber drive , " according to Nandakumar .
He knows the industry well . Nandakumar formerly led engineering and ego - driving technology departments at Uber before founding Halo in San Francisco . He relocated the ship’s company to Las Vegas due to Nevada ’s combination of pro - business regulations and reformist perspective toward sustainable technology .
In recent year , Las Vegas has become something of a business incubator for onwards - thinking ground transit choice . Amazon - ownedZooxis already testing driverless robotaxis on public road whileMotionalhas relationships with Lyft and Uber to take self-governing electric vehicles to rideshare client . Elon Musk’sThe Boring Companyis constructing an underground EV tunnel system that currently operates between the Las Vegas Convention Center and Resorts World with 81 station O.K. as part of the Vegas Loop . ( It ’s deserving noting the organization use Teslas with human driver and has critic who say , " Why not make it a subway instead ? " The Boring Company’sHyperloopsystem , which has conducted test outside Vegas , seems tranquil of late , though Musk hasfloated the estimate of using the high - focal ratio technology in his tunnels . )
Nevada has one more vantage for Halo : " The topography is flat , " Nandakumar say . " There are no Hill and petty pelting . It ’s a very sporting examination surroundings for us . "
Some other matter need to be sorted out , however , like what happen if a police police officer rend over a driverless railway car . The Halo squad speedily luff out that distant drivers undergo extensive background checks and training ; are more focused on the road than the average number one wood ; and do n’t have phones , amusement arrangement , and other distraction . Still , unexpected incident could happen , and Halo is presently working with the Nevada state of matter government and DMV to start new laws that would apply . Long report short : Remote drivers are just as responsible for the car as in - person drivers .
Halo has been testing its technology and system for four age and is now run in " stage three , " which means a chaser railcar still follows the remote car during avail . See what it ’s all about bygoing onlineand ordering a car to wherever you happen to be in Las Vegas right now . number one wood must be 25 or older and have a valid driver ’s license .
