Halo

Halo, operating as drivehalo.com, is a vehicle-for-hire company providing a distinctive service by remotely delivering all-electric rental cars to its customers. Founded in 2019 by Anand Nandakumar, the company has established its primary operations in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nandakumar, the company's CEO, leverages an extensive background in technology, having led perception and deep learning imaging research teams at Uber's self-driving division, and held technology roles at Sony, Disney, and Vodafone. This experience informed his approach to Halo, creating a bridge to full autonomy by using remote human pilots, a concept he deemed more immediately viable than Level 5 autonomous vehicles.

The business model combines elements of car-sharing and traditional rental services, augmented by teleoperations. Customers use a web app to summon a vehicle, which is then remotely driven by a trained 'remote pilot' from a control center to the user's location. The pilot operates the car using a console with a steering wheel, pedals, and monitors that display a live feed from the vehicle's six cameras and various sensors. Upon arrival, the customer takes control and drives the car for the booked period. When the rental is complete, the customer can leave the car anywhere within the service area, and a remote pilot takes over to collect it. This model eliminates the need for customers to travel to a rental depot or worry about parking. The company generates revenue through hourly and daily rental fees, which include insurance and charging.

Halo's service is built on its proprietary remote driving technology stack, retrofitted onto its fleet of Chevrolet Bolt and Kia Niro EVs. A key technological component is its reliance on high-speed mobile networks, utilizing a combination of T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon to ensure stable, low-latency connectivity crucial for safe remote operation. The company has developed a patent-pending Anomaly Detection System that automatically brings the vehicle to a stop if connectivity issues arise. After extensive testing with in-car safety drivers, Halo launched fully driverless remote deliveries in Las Vegas in June 2023, a significant milestone making it the first company to commercially deploy remote-piloted vehicles on public roads without a human in the vehicle. The company initially expanded valley-wide in Las Vegas after a successful beta period and has plans to increase its fleet and expand to other cities.

Keywords: remote-piloted cars, electric vehicle rental, car-sharing service, on-demand vehicles, teleoperations, last-mile transportation, automotive technology, EV fleet, remote driving, Las Vegas car rental, Anand Nandakumar, driverless delivery, vehicle-for-hire, mobility as a service, 5G automotive, teleoperated driving, EV carshare, remote vehicle control, urban mobility, Chevrolet Bolt