Arrival, a UK-based electric vehicle (EV) company, has unveiled a prototype of a dedicated ride-hail vehicle developed in collaboration with Uber.

The prototype was unveiled this week at Techcrunch’s TC Sessions: Mobility 2022 conference in San Mateo, California.

Working in collaboration with Uber UK, a previous prototype was shared in 2021, yet this latest iteration has been adapted further with consultation from Uber drivers.

With feedback collected from over 100 Uber drivers, the latest prototype features large windows and a wide windshield to optimise visibility for drivers. Visibility is further optimised with the vehicle’s body design, a short front overhang and angled nose.

“We’ve partnered with Uber, and we have the Uber drivers coming in and giving us feedback on the type of vehicles that they want to use and really going through the aches and pains,” Avinash Rugoobur, president of Arrival, told the crowd at TC Sessions.

Inside the vehicle there is a touchscreen near the steering wheel which plugs into Uber’s back end or that of any other ride-hail organisation.

Rugoobur stated that another aim of Arrival’s design is to cut down on the “sheer amount of digital equipment” and to remove anything which is distracting, confusing, or ultimately a waste of time.

Arrival has previously garnered attention for its potentially revolutionary goal of building multiple automated ‘microfactories’ to produce vehicles regionally and locally rather than on one big production line.

The company has previously stated that it hopes to begin production on its ride-hail vehicle at a facility in Charlotte, North Carolina in the third quarter of 2023.

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