THE ESSENCE OF DRIVING WILL SURVIVE.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. As the global auto industry goes head-first into electrification and autonomous vehicle development, the concern has been growing among enthusiasts and people who just like the act of driving as in, what’s in it for us?

We are being inundated with press release after press release regurgitating the details about the latest autonomous development, and I have to admit that it’s leaving me stone cold. Yes, well off into the future I can see limited usage for AVs, but for most people who grew up with the desire to drive, and the accumulated experiences and adventures – not to mention the individual freedom of mobility – that came from hitting the road, blind fealty to the notion of AVs is about as compelling as leftover oatmeal.

Yes, of course, I appreciate the technology, and I can see that handing over the control of a vehicle in certain situations – abominable traffic congestion, chaotic city driving, I-80 in Nebraska, etc. – might be the most expedient course of action. But just checking out and becoming totally removed from the act of driving? I’m not interested, and I am quite certain that there are plenty of people out there who feel the same way.

So, I am encouraged by the news coming from BMW this week, because this company is recognizing the fact that there will be plenty of situations in the future where people will want to experience the act of driving for themselves, and it intends on building vehicles that will accommodate that notion.

BMW announced that in the future, its drivers will be able to choose whether they wish to be driven or do the driving themselves. According to BMW PR minions: “With the BMW Vision M NEXT, the BMW Group is revealing its take on how driving pleasure might look in future for those who enjoy taking the wheel themselves. It offers a foretaste of the BMW M brand’s electrified future by placing the focus squarely on the actively engaged driver. Intelligent technologies on board provide comprehensive yet carefully targeted assistance to turn them into the ultimate driver.”

(Images of the BMW Vision M Next from BMW)

According to BMW, “EASE” encompasses all the experiences during a journey when the vehicle assumes the task of driving. “Here, the vehicle is transformed into a living space on four wheels, where the passengers can feel safe and secure. From rest and relaxation, via talking, interacting and enjoying in-car entertainment, all the way to maximum concentration – the experiences on offer with the EASE concept are as varied as the occupants’ needs.”

“BOOST,” on the other hand, stands for the ultimate active driving experience. “The BMW Vision M NEXT provides a glimpse into the future of sporty driving,” says Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design. “Where the BMW Vision iNEXT illustrated how autonomous driving is set to transform life on board our vehicles, the BMW Vision M NEXT demonstrates how state-of-the-art technology can also make the experience of driving yourself purer and more emotionally engaging. In both models, the focus is firmly on the people inside. Design and technology make the ‘EASE’ and ‘BOOST’ experiences more natural and more intense.”

The BMW Vision M NEXT concept features a Power PHEV drive system offering the choice between electric all-wheel drive and pure rear-wheel drive, with either all-electric propulsion or the power of a turbocharged four-cylinder ICE. System output of 441 kW (600HP) produces a top speed of 186 mph (300 km/h) and enables the BMW Vision M NEXT to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just three seconds. There is also a BOOST+ mode that puts extra power on tap at the push of a button. The maximum range when driving in all-electric mode is 100 km (62 miles). This allows the BMW Vision M NEXT to also be suitable for use in city centers where zero-emissions zones may come into force in the future.

That BMW is on to something here is worth noting. It is staunchly reinforcing its fundamental raison d’etre by emphasizing the driver and the act of driving. I would be thoroughly disappointed if BMW – of all automotive brands – decided to do anything else, even though they have been lost in the woods on more than one occasion of late.

But make no mistake, the other premium luxury-performance players on the automotive scene will offer something much like what BMW is promising. Because in the future, when it comes to mobility – which will be parsed into a million little subsets – brand image wrangling will take on an even more crucial importance.

Consider Porsche, for instance. That Porsche is working on the exact same philosophy as BMW for its future vehicles is no surprise. Why? Because without the pure and emotional essence of driving, why bother shelling out serious dough-re-mi for a Porsche? There will be no reason to, unless, of course, Porsche continues to offer the kind of driving experience Porsche has become known for.

And the same goes for Ferrari. That you will be able to enter a city center in full-electric mode will be a given, and then when you exit the city you will be able to engage the full thrust of the Ferrari driving experience. And you can bet that Aston Martin, Bentley, Cadillac (V-Series), Corvette, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, etc., etc., will all do the same.

Going forward, two things will differentiate the luxury-performance players from the mere commodity cars: Design and Performance.

Design will continue to be the Ultimate Initial Product Differentiator of course, but the luxury-performance brands that adhere to their missions by emphasizing the pure essence of driving will enjoy the most success.

And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.

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June 14, 2019

Solar-charging cars are going to change our lives

Martijn Lammers — Co-founder and CSO

We think of the 20th century as the years that granted mobility to everyone. If you think about it, though, driving didn’t actually change much after it moved from plaything of the wealthy to middle-class signifier. Your car may have more gadgets and better steering, but your driving experience isn’t that different from your parents’ or grandparents’. You face the same obstacles and deal with the same logistics.

We don’t even notice tracking the status of our gas tank, but many motorists can’t picture going on holiday in an electric car

The steady rise of electric vehicles since the turn of the 21st century has started to change that. We’re not just thinking about how we can fight our addiction to fossil fuels; we’re starting to imagine how the whole experience of driving and car ownership could be different.

The hitch in this growing popularity is the sense of an entirely new type of planning. We don’t even notice tracking the status of our gas tank, but many motorists can’t picture going on holiday in an electric car. What if you end somewhere without a charging infrastructure? Or you have to wait forty minutes every three hundred kilometers to charge your car?

Enter the next revolution in mobility. Soon, we won’t just be driving fuel-free cars but ones that charge themselves with sunlight. It’s going to fundamentally change our (driving) lives.

Parking is recharging
Imagine being psyched to get the sunny parking spaces that other drivers avoid. While traditional car drivers avoid leaving their car in the sun, solar car drivers soak it up! They love the spaces in the open or on the roof of a garage. It’s an ideal place to recharge. Solar panels on the roof allow it to store 12 kilometers worth of energy for every hour in the sun. Your car is soaking in free energy while you go about your day.

On a normal day commuting, you’ll often charge more than you use

Guilt-free driving
We’re all struggling with how to live our lives without destroying the environment. The solar car balances a huge part of the equation. The average combustion engine car emits 113 grams of CO2 per kilometer. In a solar car, you don’t emit any greenhouse gases. You’re driving on energy you generated yourself from the largest natural source and charging as you go. On a normal day commuting, you’ll often charge more than you use. You can plug appliances into your car and use it as a clean energy source.

Off the grid will mean something else
There’s a reason the fear of absent charging stations comes so easily to drivers’ minds. Anyone who’s taken a road trip through open, rural country knows the creeping concern that they should’ve stopped at the last filling station. Today’s idea of “off the grid” is an empty landscape with a few lone and rarely attended stations – or maybe just gas cans in the trunk. In solar cars, off the grid is anywhere the road takes you. The sun isn’t just the most powerful energy source but also the most ever-present.

Minimalism is the new must-have
The new wave of engineering is making us reassess what matters for our cars. Rather than a plethora of technical gadgets to entertain passengers or teach drivers, solar cars will focus on what matters. The car carries five people (or pets) without using harmful fuels. The car stores solar energy and uses it extremely efficiently. But what if the car could also give something back? The energy stored in the car can also be used for other household equipment. On weekends or holidays, you always have a natural source of energy at hand. The minimalism of the solar car will be the trend everyone fights to adopt.

People and countries are focusing more and more on clean mobility, so the rise of the solar car will have an enormous impact. Lightyear One: the first long-range solar car on the road will cause a tipping point towards carbon-neutral transportation. We can’t wait for its influence to be seen on the road.

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Do you have any questions about Lightyear One? Don’t hesitate to contact us.

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The post Solar-charging cars are going to change our lives appeared first on Lightyear.

Original Article

June 13, 2019

Hyundai and Kia Invest in Aurora

Aurora Team

Jun 12

Partnership continues development on self-driving platforms and services powered by the Aurora Driver

Hyundai’s flagship fuel cell vehicle NEXO integrated with the Aurora Driver

Today we’re pleased to announce that our existing partner Hyundai Motor Group, which includes Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation, has invested in Aurora as part of our Series B financing round. We’ve now raised more than $600 million as part of our Series B financing, putting us in a strong position to accelerate the development of the Aurora Driver, strengthen our team, and acquire cutting-edge technology.

We’ve been working with Hyundai and Kia for the last year to develop the Aurora Driver’s integration into Hyundai’s flagship fuel cell vehicle NEXO. Continuing our partnership, we will expand research and development of a self-driving platform for a wide range of Hyundai and Kia’s models.

“We are pleased with the progress made with the Hyundai and Kia teams,” said Sterling Anderson, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Aurora. “Together with all of our ecosystem partners, we are seeing the convergence of a powerful platform that will deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly.”

“Aurora is the leading innovator of self-driving technology and we look forward to building a stronger collaborative partnership with them,” said Youngcho Chi, President and Chief Innovation Officer at Hyundai Motor Group. “Working closely with industry leaders around the world will help us develop fully self-driving vehicles that are safe and innovative for our customers.”

As we’ve built the foundation for delivering self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly, our strategic partnerships with players across the transportation ecosystem — including auto-manufacturers, suppliers, and transportation networks — have been incredibly valuable for the development of the Aurora Driver. Earlier this week, we announced a collaboration with FCA US. We’re excited to enter this next phase with our partners as we bring the Aurora Driver to life across vehicle platforms.

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June 10, 2019

Workhorse Group Secures $25 Million Financing

New Capital Enables Workhorse to Finalize N-GEN R&D and Scale Production in 2019

CINCINNATI, June 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Workhorse Group Inc. (NASDAQ:WKHS) (“Workhorse” or “the Company”), an American technology company focused on providing sustainable and cost-effective electric-mobility solutions to the transportation sector, has entered into subscription agreements for a private offering with a group of institutional investors, resulting in gross proceeds to the Company of $25 million.

Under the terms of the agreements, the investors acquired shares of Series B preferred stock and warrants to purchase common stock. The Series B preferred stock is not convertible, but the holders are entitled to annual dividends payable in shares of common stock. Full details relating to the private offering can be found in the Company’s Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 6, 2019.

The closing with respect to approximately $15,000,000 occurred on May 31, 2019, and the balance of approximately $10,000,000 will close today, June 10, 2019. The proceeds will be used for general working capital and research and development, allowing the company to focus on finalizing the R&D associated with the N-GEN followed by production of the existing contracted backlog.

“This funding provides Workhorse with sufficient capital to fully deliver on our existing backlog and will enable us to make significant strides in our strategic vision of being a leader in the electric last mile delivery space,” said Company CEO Duane Hughes. “We now have all necessary pieces in place to bridge Workhorse into full-scale N-GEN production and are looking forward to commencing the manufacturing process, in earnest, during the fourth quarter of this year.”

Separately, on April 23, 2019, Workhorse also terminated its preexisting At-the-Market (ATM) Offering Sales Agreement with Cowen and Company, which had been in place since June 2017.

About Workhorse Group Inc.

Workhorse is a technology company focused on providing electric mobility solutions to the transportation sector. As an American original equipment manufacturer, we design and build high performance battery-electric vehicles including trucks and aircraft. Workhorse also develops cloud-based, real-time telematics performance monitoring systems that are fully integrated with our vehicles and enable fleet operators to optimize energy and route efficiency. All Workhorse vehicles are designed to make the movement of people and goods more efficient and less harmful to the environment. For additional information visit workhorse.com.

Workhorse Safe Harbor Statement

This release includes forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “should,” “seeks,” “future,” “continue,” or the negative of such terms, or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to: our limited operations and need to expand in the near future to fulfill product orders; our ability to successfully complete research and development of our vehicles and, in turn, to commence production in a timely manner; risks associated with obtaining orders and executing upon such orders; the ability to protect our intellectual property; the potential lack of market acceptance of our products; potential competition; our inability to retain key members of our management team; our inability to raise additional capital to fund our operations and business plan; our inability to maintain our listing of our securities on the Nasdaq Capital Market; our ability to continue as a going concern; our liquidity and other risks and uncertainties and other factors discussed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including our annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. Workhorse expressly disclaims any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Investor Relations Contact:

Matt Glover and Tom Colton

Gateway Investor Relations

949-574-3860

WKHS@gatewayir.com

Read the original Press Release.

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June 10, 2019

Aurora and FCA US to collaborate on self-driving commercial vehicle platforms

Aurora Team

Jun 9

Automakers are an important partner to Aurora as we develop the Aurora Driver and the products and services it will power. Our work with them focuses on preparing their vehicles with the interfaces the Aurora Driver requires to safely operate them. This is similar to the way legacy vehicles were designed to accommodate a human driver. Ultimately, this investment will allow our global automotive partners to build Aurora-Driver-compatible vehicles at scale. Over the last two years, this work has refined our Driver, standardized its interfaces, and cemented its ability to capably power vehicles of different makes, models, and classes. To date, the Aurora Driver has been integrated into six vehicle platforms — from sedans, SUVs, and minivans, to a large commercial vehicle and a class 8 truck.

Today, we’re excited to announce that we have signed an agreement with FCA to lay the groundwork for a powerful partnership in self-driving commercial vehicles. This partnership will further expand the scope of the Aurora Driver, allowing us to offer a variety of solutions to strategic customers in logistics, transit, and other use cases.

“As part of FCA’s autonomous vehicle strategy we will continue to work with strategic partners in this space to address the needs of consumers in a rapidly changing industry,” said Mike Manley, Chief Executive Officer, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. “Aurora brings a unique skillset combined with advanced and purposeful technology that complements and enhances our philosophy on self-driving.”

Partnering with FCA enables us to continue to expand on our strengths, capabilities, and resources as we work to broadly deliver the benefits of self-driving through the transportation ecosystem. We look forward to sharing more as our work together progresses.

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June 3, 2019

At G.M., a ‘Sense of Optimism, Not Despair’

The view from Detroit: “It is true that compact car sales have declined across the industry. But a lot of things are going right in this country and at G.M.”

To the Editor:

Your coverage of General Motors, the end of Chevrolet Cruze production and the possible sale of our Lordstown (Ohio) Complex has been extensive. What has been missing is any sense of optimism.

It is true that compact car sales have declined across the industry. But a lot of things are going right in this country and at G.M. The economy is robust and at full employment; demand for G.M.’s trucks and crossovers is strong; there are thousands of well-paying G.M. jobs available at other plants; and there is a prospective buyer for the Lordstown plant that wants to build electric pickup trucks in partnership with the United Auto Workers.

Yet you seem fixated on seeding doubt and despair with its unrelenting focus on a select few people (Sunday Magazine, May 5), national politics (front page, May 28) and risks (Business Day, May 29).

We don’t dismiss the personal challenges our Lordstown employees face. But like other G.M. hourly employees, they have the opportunity to relocate to plants in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky and other states to maintain their jobs, which can pay more than $100,000 a year, including the most generous profit-sharing plan in the auto industry.

So far, close to 850 people have accepted offers to relocate to another G.M. facility, while others are retiring with their pensions or leaving G.M. to take new jobs closer to home. Some employees continue to take a wait-and-see approach.

With the end of Cruze production, a sale of the plant to a new company affiliated with Workhorse Group is the best opportunity we have found to keep vehicle production at the site — a conclusion we reached after reviewing proposals from multiple interested parties.

Why Workhorse? Because it is better positioned than most electric vehicle start-ups, with hundreds of battery electric trucks on the road, satisfied customers and a substantial order backlog. Workhouse is using this expertise to back a new start-up that plans to buy the Lordstown plant with support from investors and the U.A.W.

If talks this summer between the parties are successful, it will put Workhorse at the center of a new and potentially lucrative growth market — commercial electric trucks — as you reported in June 2018.

But you are overly focused on Workhorse’s need for capital. A start-up that loses money and consumes capital for some period? That’s hardly man-bites-dog material, but it is an easy story to write since Workhorse is a public company and its results are open for public inspection, unlike most of its peers. Editors’ Picks My Husband Wore Really Tight Shorts to the Eclipse Party 25 Writers on Their Favorite Beach Vacations Why 1999 Was Hollywood’s Greatest Year

Workhorse has been ahead of its time. Now, the momentum of an all-electric future is catching up to it, and it is positioning itself for the future.

Without a doubt, there is more work that needs to be done to take care of our people and to complete the Lordstown sale, but there is a significant opportunity for the local community and Ohio to be at the forefront of tomorrow. This should drive a sense of optimism, not despair.

Tony Cervone Detroit The writer is senior vice president for global communications at General Motors.

Read the full article.

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May 27, 2019

Aurora to acquire Blackmore, industry-leading Lidar company

Aurora Team

May 23

Blackmore’s cutting-edge technology will be instrumental in delivering self-driving technology safely and quickly.

At Aurora, we’ve long said that the safest approach to building self-driving technology is by using different sensor modalities — cameras, radar, and of course, lidar. Today we’re pleased to announce that Aurora plans to acquire the industry-leading lidar company Blackmore, located in Bozeman, Montana.

Lidar is critical for developing a reliable self-driving system that can navigate our roads more safely than a human driver. As we’ve said before, different sensor modalities have different strengths and weaknesses; thus, incorporating multiple modalities drives dramatic improvements in the reliability of the system. Based on our decades of industry experience, we’re clear that lidar, specifically with the advancements Blackmore has made, is part of the ultimate sensing system.

At Aurora, our collective experience building self-driving systems gives us an incredible advantage as we build our self-driving vehicle technology. We know what works and what doesn’t and can build on this prior knowledge, as well as the many technological advancements we’ve seen in the last few years. Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) is a next generation lidar technology that further advances our state of the art Aurora Driver.

Blackmore’s pioneering work in FMCW technology has illuminated the future of automotive lidar. Blackmore starts with photonic hardware proven in the optical fiber communications industry. Signal processing then maximizes FMCW’s advantages of high dynamic range, single photon sensitivity, and interference immunity — technical jargon that translates into real safety margin, chip-level scalability, and all-weather performance. Finally, the point-by-point velocity measurement enabled by FMCW will allow us to rewrite perception in robotics. Ultimately we believe that Blackmore’s technology will allow us to deliver a safer, more efficient, and more cost-effective Driver than even the best systems available on the market today.

And companies, of course, aren’t just about the technology — they’re about the people who build that technology. We’re thrilled to welcome the Blackmore team to Aurora. They bring deep expertise and diverse perspectives. With a fourth Aurora office located in Bozeman, Montana we are in a position to attract top talent from an even more diverse pool. We look forward to working together to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly.

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May 27, 2019

At 250 people strong, Aurora makes key business hires

Aurora Team

May 14

Senior leaders join Aurora to help inform regulations, build out the transportation ecosystem, and design new rider experiences

Since being founded a little over two years ago, Aurora has grown to more than 250 people with employees across offices in Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh. Part of this growth has been fueled by the over $600M we recently raised from investors including Sequoia and Amazon — funds we are using to deeply invest in our technology, accelerate our rapid pace of innovation, and of course, grow our team.

Today we’re pleased to welcome new leaders to Aurora who will head up Government Relations, Regulatory, User Experience, and Partner Products and Programs. These roles will lead Aurora’s efforts as we partner with government organizations on future regulations, form partnerships as part of a broader transportation ecosystem, and build a brand-new experience for those who ride in vehicles powered by the Aurora Driver.

Here’s more about these new hires and the role they will play through Aurora’s next phase of growth:

Gerardo Interiano, Head of Government Relations, will lead Aurora’s efforts to engage with federal, state, and local governments as we help define the future of self-driving policy, ensuring safety is at the core of everything we do. Prior to Aurora, Gerardo worked at Google where he helped launch Google Fiber and Google’s Self-Driving Car Project (now Waymo) in the Southwest. He also also served in various roles with U.S. government officials.

Charity Goodman Allen, Head of Regulatory, will play a major role in working with governments to help inform the future of self-driving regulation. She comes to Aurora with a breadth of experience in the autonomous space — spending time at Tesla, and at Waymo where she advised on a broad range of regulatory and privacy issues. Prior to that, she worked at law firms in Washington, DC.

Lia Theodosiou-Pisanelli, Head of Partner Products and Programs, will lead the product development and program management for Aurora’s partnerships. Continuing to develop partnerships with automotive, technology, and transportation network companies is increasingly important as Aurora prepares to deploy its technology broadly. Prior to Aurora, Lia was the Director of Business Development for Lyft’s autonomous vehicles division, where she built strategic alliances with critical automotive and technology suppliers. She also served as Head of Global Government Relations at Square and worked in the office of the U.S. Trade Representative at the White House.

Brian Cullinane, Head of User Experience, will focus on the experience riders and logistics partners will have with vehicles powered by the Aurora Driver. Brian’s work will support Aurora’s position as an independent player in the space by creating a consistent, scalable experience that works across Aurora’s network of partners. Before Aurora, Brian was a product leader at Uber’s ATG and led User Experience Research for Google’s Self-Driving Car Project (now Waymo).

We’re excited to welcome these new leaders to Aurora.

We’re always looking for other talented colleagues to join our team. If you’d like to know more about roles at Aurora, you can learn more here.

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May 27, 2019

Aurora Safety Report: The New Era of Mobility

Aurora Team

Apr 29

Self-driving technology offers an incredible opportunity to save lives, increase safety and efficiency on our roads, and make it less expensive, more accessible, and generally easier to get around. Someday soon you and your goods will be transported by the Aurora Driver. For you to trust us we need to help you understand why we’re worthy of that trust, how the technology works, and why it’s safe.

This Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment is not only intended to fulfill the suggested requirements of the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. We also wrote it to further inform the public why self-driving vehicles are important to our future, how Aurora is building the technology that will safely drive these vehicles, and what to expect as it all becomes part of our daily lives. We’re excited about the potential self-driving technology has to improve safety on our roads — and we hope that once you’ve learned about our approach, you are, too.

Read the full report on our website.

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May 22, 2019

BEEP AND NAVYA CONDUCT AUTONOMOUS SHUTTLE FIRST RESPONDER TRAINING IN ORLANDO

22 May 2019

BEEP AND NAVYA CONDUCT AUTONOMOUS SHUTTLE FIRST RESPONDER TRAINING IN ORLANDO

Mobility Solutions Company Launches Program in Partnership with Shuttle Manufacturer NAVYA to Train Emergency Personnel on State-of-the-Art Autonomous Vehicles Set to Be Deployed in Lake Nona

ORLANDO, May 22, 2019 ‐‐ Beep, a Florida-based autonomous mobility solutions company, today announced it is conducting an enhanced training program for Orlando First Responders designed to familiarize them with autonomous technology and train them on appropriate actions to take if the vehicles are present on a scene. Led by experts from NAVYA’s North American assembly plant in Saline, Michigan, the training will be held May 20-22 at Orlando Fire Department Station 16 in Lake Nona and will consist of familiarizing First Responders with all the systems aboard NAVYA’s AUTONOM SHUTTLE. Training will review how to interact with the vehicle in emergency situations and include a hands-on session on how to operate the vehicle. This training is being done in advance of the deployment of Central Florida’s first autonomous shuttles expected be on the roads in Lake Nona this summer.

“As First Responders, our knowledge and skills need to keep evolving with the automotive technology that people have access to now and in the future.” said Orlando Fire Chief, Richard Wales. “We are very pleased to be participating in this training exercise and we look forward to learning the protocol for operating and addressing any situations with these vehicles should they be present at an incident.”

Beep, founded by experienced fleet managers and technology entrepreneurs, offers the next generation of services for passenger mobility to fleet operators in planned communities and low speed environments across the public and private sector.

“The transportation industry is evolving dramatically right now, with more autonomous technology than ever making its way onto our roads,” said Joe Moye, Beep’s CEO. “Our commitment and responsibility for making sure people are moving around safely on our shuttles is our priority and this training ensures that First Responders are familiar with the vehicles and can confidently interact with them should the need arise.”

Beep has an exclusive dealer arrangement for the state of Florida, with NAVYA, a global leader in the autonomous vehicle (AV) market, and the manufacturer of the AUTONOM SHUTTLE which underpins Beeps services. The shuttles are fully autonomous, driverless, electric and utilize advanced guidance and detection systems to interact in real time with their environment.

“NAVYA has a perfect safety record according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Automated Driving Systems Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment (VSSA) Disclosure Index,” continued Moye. “Their advanced technology and focus on safety are why Beep chose NAVYA as a partner and this training program is a further indication of our relentless focus on the safety of our vehicles and the passengers they transport.”

Currently, Beep and Lake Nona are pursuing approvals with NHTSA and the Department of Transportation (DOT) for proposed autonomous shuttle routes throughout Lake Nona. Lake Nona will start with two shuttles that can hold up to 15 people each and will travel on fixed routes within the community at speeds of up to 16 mph. Each shuttle will have a dedicated attendant on board.

“We applaud Beep, NAVYA, and the Orlando Fire Department for taking the initiative to begin this training program and ensure our first responders are prepared to engage with latest autonomous technology,” said Juan Santos, Lake Nona’s VP of Brand Experience. “As we get closer to having the shuttles operational in Lake Nona this summer, we also plan to host additional informational events geared toward riders.”

About Beep

Beep is an autonomous mobility solution company delivering the next generation of services for passenger mobility to fleet operators in planned communities and low speed environments across the public and private sector, including transportation hubs, medical and university campuses, town centers and more.

For more information visit: www.go-beep.com

Press Contact Information:

Beep:

Lisa Desmond

lisa.desmond@go-beep.com

786.251.8413

Download BEEP press release

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