The writing is on the wall.
The car companies can see it and are all jostling to form alliances with ride share companies.
This is because it is these companies that will be its main customers in future, not the general public as we move towards a future dominated by autonomous, electric vehicles.
In the latest such move Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced a partnership with US-based self-driving taxi service Voyage.
InMotion Ventures, JLR’s venture capital arm, has announced that it will invest $3 million in the company.
The financial support will help Voyage develop a global service, with the aim that anyone can summon an autonomous vehicle to their door and reach their destination safely.
Voyage has already trialled its self-driving taxi service in a gated community in San Jose, California.
The company is licensed to test self-driving cars on Californian roads in 2018 and is refining its technology and service with feedback from users.
Jaguar Land Rover is not the only investor that has come to the party, with funds promised by Khosla Ventures, SV Angel, Initialized Capital, Amino Capital and Charles River Ventures.
Managing Director, InMotion Ventures, Sebastian Peck, said: “We are excited to be working with Oliver Cameron and his world-class team at Voyage. We believe they have the capability to quickly make self-driving, autonomous taxis in residential communities a reality.”
Voyage is the 12th company to join its mobility and transport venture portfolio.