Vay: Did Telefahr dress up the events?

Vay/Lisa Kempke for the startup scene

Not only investors, but also politicians and transport associations in Germany have high hopes for Berlin-based startup Vay. The company’s technology is a milestone in autonomous driving. A few weeks ago, Vay was able to haul a car onto a German public road without a worker in the car – the company’s first ever in Europe. “Historic moment,” the company announced, even the news.

Unlike most of its self-driving competitors, the Berlin start-up did not initially develop fully self-driving cars. Instead, it relies on what’s called remote driving. So the cars are remotely controlled, like in a computer game. The remote driver steers the car with the help of several cameras and sensors. Vay sees remote driving as a bridging technology to enable autonomous driving in Germany within a few years.

Therefore, Hamburg’s transport senator, Anges Tjarx, was very proud when he announced in October 2021 that the Hanseatic City and Fay would launch a “unique tele-mobility service without a driver in the car”. The partnership confirms that Hamburg is a “digital model city in Europe that puts innovative, smart and needs-based offers into action,” says Tjarx.

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However, research into the startup field is now opening up a previously hidden chapter in this innovation fairy tale. We spoke to several insiders, and took a look at Fey’s internal documents. They are puzzle pieces that show a very different picture of Vay.

The information gives the impression that the startup has put speed ahead of safety. Under self-imposed schedule pressure, the company appears to have embellished information about accidents and hid remote worker safety concerns when approving road tests. The research not only raises suspicions about Vay drivers, but also puts Hamburg’s traffic authorities in need of explanations.

Vay started out as a German self-driving hope

Founder Thomas von der Ohe, CEO of the company to this day, came up with the idea for Vay. He studied computer science at Oxford and then worked for a long time in Silicon Valley, first at Amazon and later at Zoox, one of the largest developers of self-driving cars.