Abu Dhabi, UAE: Bayanat (ADX: BAYANAT), a leading provider of AI-powered geospatial solutions, and Vay, the provider of automotive-grade teledriving (remote driving) technology, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance teledriving technology solutions with geospatial data and AI.

This partnership enables Bayanat to unlock and expand jointly with Vay the teledriving technology into the Middle East, Africa, and select Asia Pacific countries. Additionally, the partnership will see the launch of a joint R&D arm dedicated to the development and expansion of next generation, safe autonomous technology. The partnership will also leverage Bayanat’s operational infrastructure, data and AI capabilities, and Vay’s teledriving expertise to drive advancements in autonomous vehicles globally, and address the growing demand for advanced modes of mobility.

Bayanat’s smart mobility solutions are powered by its AI-enabled platform, GIQ, which integrates data from space and ground assets to assist with decision-making, enhance situational awareness, and improve operational efficiency. Vay's technology allows professionally trained teledrivers to remotely drive vehicles to the customer's pick-up location. Once the car arrives, the user takes manual control and drives as in any regular vehicle. After the journey is complete, the user simply ends the rental in the app without worrying about searching for parking space, as a teledriver handles parking or drives the car to the next customer. This system offers a sustainable, door-to-door mobility service at half the cost of traditional ride-hailing. Bayanat’s AI insights, informed by geospatial data, will improve the remote experience for Vay’s trained teledrivers.

Vay is the first and still the only company in Europe to operate on public roads without a safety driver. In January 2024, Vay launched its commercial teledriving service in Las Vegas, positioning itself as a pioneer in teledriven cars. Committed to creating safer, more sustainable, and livable cities, Vay’s teledriving technology optimizes the use of its electric fleet, potentially leading to fewer cars on the road.

Hasan Al Hosani, Managing Director, Bayanat: "Bayanat, soon to be Space42, remains committed to fostering key partnerships that advance disruptive industries such as teledriving and advanced mobility. Our collaboration with Vay will allow us to tackle teledriving challenges and set the pace of innovation in the industry. By combining our AI-powered smart mobility solutions with Vay’s cutting-edge teledriving technology, we aim to deliver advanced, scalable mobility solutions that enhance transportation efficiency and foster safer, more sustainable urban mobility experiences.”

“We are excited to collaborate with Bayanat to develop what we believe is a crucial element of autonomous vehicles - specifically, 'remote-operated, assisted autonomy',” said Thomas von der Ohe, Vay co-founder and CEO. “Teledriving has a profound ability to increase cost-effectiveness for fleet operations. Coupled with Bayanat’s AI-powered platform, we can further advance the implementation of teledriving beyond the current use cases and improve the overall experience for teledrivers, users, and partners”.

This partnership is the latest in several strategic alliances Bayanat has fostered to apply its AI-powered geospatial capabilities and offerings to more use cases. In 2024, Bayanat was Anchor Partner at DRIFTx, an international platform for smart, autonomous and sustainable urban mobility solutions with the aim to advance Abu Dhabi’s journey to become the global hub for smart and autonomous vehicle applications. At the event, Bayanat made several announcements, including its partnership with South Korean firm Autonomous a2z to pioneer cutting-edge autonomous fleet operations and advance sustainable smart mobility and transport systems.

About Bayanat

Bayanat, an ADX-listed public company with a majority shareholding by G42, provides comprehensive world-class AI-powered geospatial solutions to a growing number of sectors such as Government Services, Environment, Energy & Resources, Smart Cities, and Transportation. Its offering includes topographic, hydrographic, and aeronautical products and charts, as well as spatial data surveying, analysis, management, modeling, visualization, and cartography services. Bayanat’s solutions harness vast amounts of premium and unique data from a range of sources, including Satellites, High Altitude Pseudo Satellites (HAPS), and Earth Observation powered by AI to drive geospatial intelligence (gIQ).

About Vay

Vay develops automotive-grade technology for remote driving ("teledriving"), paving the way for sustainable and driverless mobility services. As an alternative to autonomous driving, Vay aims to gradually introduce autonomous functions into its system based on high-quality teledrive data.

In February 2023, Vay was the first (and is still the only) company in Europe to drive on public roads without a person in the vehicle. In January 2024, Vay launched its first commercial mobility service in Las Vegas, USA. Teledrivers bring an electric car to the user and pick it up after the journey is completed, eliminating the time-consuming search for a parking spot. While in the car, the user drives themself. This creates the most affordable door-to-door mobility service.

Vay was founded in Berlin in 2018 by Thomas von der Ohe, Fabrizio Scelsi and Bogdan Djukic. Vay's team of 150+ people combines the best of two worlds - software & product experience from Silicon Valley and automotive hardware & safety engineering from Europe. The company has offices in Berlin and Hamburg, Germany, and in Las Vegas, USA. Vay raised a USD 95m Series B funding round. Investors include Kinnevik, Coatue, Eurazeo, Atomico, La Famiglia and Creandum, as well as prominent business angels such as former Alphabet Chief Financial Officer Patrick Pichette, former member of the Management Board for R&D, Design, CTO of Audi Peter Mertens and Spotify’s Chief Technology & Chief Product Officer Gustav Söderström. www.vay.io