“With teledriving, a human is in charge,” Vay CEO and cofounder Thomas von der Ohe said during a recent interview with CNBC. “This allows us to handle complex maneuvers such as unprotected left turns, emergency situations, and road works based on human perception and decision-making ability.”

At the same time, teledriving firms’ decision not to fully embrace autonomous driving could limit its overall appeal. Commuters who summon these vehicles will still ultimately have to engage in the active and time-consuming act of driving. Commuters, in other words, won’t be able to take remote zoom video meetings or catch up on Netflix episodes in these cars.