Car manufacturer Volkswagen Group (VW) launched a new spinout today dubbed Moia, a Germany-based company that will develop technologies to tackle challenges around urban mobility, according to TechCrunch.
Moia has received an investment of several “hundreds of thousands” of dollars from VW and has so far hired 50 staff. The company will be headed by chief executive Ole Harms, who previously served as executive director and head of new business and mobility services at VW.
Moia will focus on mobility technologies, beginning with fleet-based commuter shuttles that rely on electric drivetrains and, in the long term, moving on to autonomous on-demand transportation.
Users will be able to hail a shuttle through a dedicated app and get on-board at designated pick-up spots. Moia is considering partnering ride-sharing app providers such as Gett, backed by Volkswagen, to provide the service if a user would be the only commuter on the shuttle.
Moia hopes to offer its service in two major European cities by the end of 2017. The company is also planning an early launch in China and eventual expansion into the US.