Autonomous EV Bus Collaboration Announced
March 2, 2020 - GreenPower Motor Company (GreenPower) and Perrone Robotics, Inc. (PRI) announced their agreement to collaborate on a transit-oriented EV bus made by GreenPower. With this collaboration, Perrone Robotics and GreenPower will be one of the first companies to make an autonomous vehicle something you can order direct from the factory.
As part of the agreement, Perrone Robotics will convert to autonomy an EV Star model shuttle bus that can seat 16 passengers + 2 wheelchairs via the included lift. This is a shared vision for the two companies - autonomy with safe, tested transit vehicles that can move passengers more efficiently through urban and suburban centers. The EV Star vehicle is Altoona tested and compliant with FMVSS requirements and will be soon "Buy America" compliant as well.
As part of the collaboration, GreenPower will consult with PRI regarding the best way to implement its TONY solution on the EV Star, and the plan is for these components to be integrated directly at the factory. As with all TONY solutions, the EV Star will be completely capable of being driven in a normal fashion by regular drivers. However, when on a course, the autonomous engine can be started and our MAX engine will do the driving.
This collaboration will get started right away as Perrone builds one of these autonomous vehicles for a large US city who is at the forefront of autonomy in urban centers. More on that soon to follow.