The pilot phase of Virginia's first public autonomous shuttle service has begun in Crozet, Virginia, according to Perrone Robotics Inc., JAUNT Inc., and Albemarle County, Virginia.
Known as Autonomous Vehicle, Neighborhood Use (AVNU), the shuttle service features a Polaris GEM vehicle equipped with Perrone Robotics' TO Navigate You (TONY) autonomous shuttle technology.
Equipped with perception and guidance capabilities, the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) shuttle will have a safety driver onboard, but it will operate fully autonomously as it drives through county neighborhoods and downtown areas on public roads, navigating vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
Mobility
Mobility
Waymo testing complimentary Wi-Fi and other features in its autonomous vehicles
According to Reuters, Waymo is testing complimentary Wi-Fi in its autonomous vehicles operating in the greater Phoenix area.
Right now, Waymo’s Chrysler Pacifica minivans operate in a 100-square-mile territory around Phoenix. A subset of users participating in the trial of the vehicles can use the Wi-Fi, which would allow them to work on their laptops.
Local Motors opens Olli Fleet Challenge to Pacific Northwest
Local Motors has announced that the Pacific Northwest will be the next location for its fleet challenge for the company’s autonomous shuttle, Olli.
According to Local Motors, entries will be accepted from across Washington state and Oregon.
The entry window for the Pacific Northwest opened on Monday, July 1, and will close August 26. Once a winner is chosen, engineers from Local Motors will map Olli’s autonomous route before the shuttles begin operating.
Chandler, Arizona launches autonomous vehicle ride-hailing program for city employees
The city of Chandler, Arizona recently announced plans to launch an autonomous vehicle ride-hailing program for select city employees, in partnership with Waymo.
Expected to last for at least one year, the program will be used to evaluate the productivity of employees as they commute to and from off-site work meetings, as well as the potential fleet services cost savings.
“We’ve worked closely with Waymo for the past several years and it’s a natural progression to utilize their technology,” says Mayor Kevin Hartke.
Waymo making its self-driving minivans available for Lyft customers in Arizona
According to CNBC, Waymo is now making some of its self-driving minivans available for Lyft customers.
The rides will be offered in a small area just outside of Phoenix, where Waymo has been testing its technology. Waymo has even launched its own autonomous ride-share service called Waymo One in the area.
Aurrigo develops autonomous baggage carrying dolly for airports
After being approached by the International Airlines Group (IAG) about using its expertise in driverless technology to develop the world’s first autonomous baggage carrying dolly, UK-based autonomous tech company Aurrigo has developed and deployed an autonomous ‘baggage’ platform that can transport luggage around airports.
Since March, an existing dolly that was converted into a self-driving, electric vehicle using lidar and GPS technology has been operating in Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport, and it is now operating in the baggage handling area.
Aurrigo worked with British Airways (BA) to get the dolly operational at Heathrow Airport.
Groupe Renault, Nissan and Waymo partner to explore driverless mobility services in France and Japan
Groupe Renault, Nissan Motor Co., and Waymo are joining forces to “explore all aspects of driverless mobility services for passengers and deliveries in France and Japan.”
The exclusive agreement between the three companies is designed to leverage the strengths of each company, while also expanding expertise in this field by not only assessing market opportunities, but also collaborating to research commercial, legal and regulatory issues related to driverless transportation-as-a-service offerings in France and Japan.
Local Motors' autonomous shuttles begin operating at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall near D.C.
On Wednesday, June 19, Local Motors deployed a fleet of its Olli autonomous shuttles at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, which is an Army and Marine Corps joint base adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
The deployment is the result of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall winning a regional fleet challenge, which asked entrants to propose use-case scenarios for the Olli autonomous shuttle.
Volvo Trucks' autonomous vehicle Vera to help transport goods in Sweden
Volvo Trucks and DFDS, a ferry and logistics company, are collaborating to use Volvo Trucks' electric, connected and autonomous vehicle Vera as part of an integrated platform to transport goods from a logistics center to a port terminal in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The goal of the collaboration is to utilize Vera in a real application as part of a connected system for a continuous flow of goods from a DFDS’ logistics center to an APM Terminals port facility in Gothenburg, for distribution across the world.
Domino's, Nuro partner to deliver pizzas using autonomous vehicles
Domino’s Pizza customers in Houston, Texas will have the opportunity to experience autonomous vehicle technology firsthand later on this year thanks to a partnership between the pizza company and robotics company Nuro.
Domino’s will use a fleet of Nuro’s R2 autonomous vehicles to serve select Houston Domino's customers who place orders online.
“Nuro's vehicles are specially designed to optimize the food delivery experience, which makes them a valuable partner in our autonomous vehicle journey,” says Kevin Vasconi, Domino's executive vice president and chief information officer.
