Self-Driving-Shuttle Service to Launch in Ohio
Ann Arbor, Mich.-based May Mobility Inc. will begin operating a self-driving shuttle van service in Columbus, Ohio, late this year.
#hybrid
Ann Arbor, Mich.-based May Mobility Inc. will begin operating a self-driving shuttle van service in Columbus, Ohio, late this year.
The company’s micro-transit electric buses can carry about 10 people and have a top speed of 25 mph. May Mobility recently announced a partnership with Magna International Inc., which will assemble the vehicles and provide them with sensor integration and drive-by-wire technologies.
The startup company has provided 10,000 trips to riders along a one-mile route in Detroit since launching the service there earlier this summer. That program is limited to employees of local real estate developer Bedrock Detroit LLC.
May Mobility is testing five routes in Columbus, some of which are three miles long, in conjunction with the Ohio Dept. of Transportation and the Smart Columbus initiative. The initial service will include three shuttle vans that stop at four locations.
As in Detroit, the Columbus service will be free to riders. May Mobility says it has used the Detroit program to better understand how other drivers interact with the shuttles and how to deal with trip irregularities, such as maneuvering around double-parked vehicles.
The company plans to add more routes and partner with other employers in Detroit in coming months. Pilot programs also are planned in four other states, the first of which will be announced next week.
RELATED CONTENT
-
GM Develops a New Electrical Platform
GM engineers create a better electrical architecture that can handle the ever-increasing needs of vehicle systems
-
Multiple Choices for Light, High-Performance Chassis
How carbon fiber is utilized is as different as the vehicles on which it is used. From full carbon tubs to partial panels to welded steel tube sandwich structures, the only limitation is imagination.
-
GM Seeks to Avert U.S. Plant Shutdowns Linked to Supplier Bankruptcy
General Motors Co. says it hopes to claim equipment and inventory from a bankrupt interior trim supplier to avoid being forced to idle all 19 of its U.S. assembly plants.