Perrone Robotics Collaborates with UVA Foundation to Bring Autonomous Shuttle Service to North Fork

Perrone’s TONY AV Kit brings automated mobility to Charlottesville

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA (December 8, 2022) - Perrone Robotics, Inc. (“Perrone”), the industry’s leading autonomous vehicle (AV) kit and turnkey AV solutions provider, has contracted with the University of Virginia Foundation to provide a free circulator shuttle service at North Fork, a University of Virginia discovery park.

Perrone will deploy a variety of vehicles to service the 560+ acres of mixed-use land located at North Fork - just minutes north of Charlottesville. The shuttle will begin by running during fixed operating schedules, transporting employees of companies located in North Fork and visitors between its nine Class-A office and laboratory buildings, providing easy access to park amenities such as Foods of All Nations Café, Success Studio Fitness, and the North Fork Meeting Center. Throughout 2023, the service will expand to leverage the wide variety of autonomous vehicle (AV) platforms that Perrone’s TONY AV Kit supports for passenger and goods delivery transit, and thus demonstrating alternative passenger transit models and a variety of autonomous goods delivery options throughout the area.

“The UVA Foundation has a history of fostering innovation and technology at its site and being open to new ideas,” said Nicholas Pilipowskyj, VP of Business Operations for Perrone. “By collaborating with us, the Foundation has given us a wonderful opportunity to show a wider group of people the great things our autonomous system is capable of. It also allows us to test and gather feedback on new features and vehicle platforms we will be rolling out to the public over the next 12 months.”

“Having an operation situated at North Fork opens the doors for our company to bring a wide range of automated passenger and goods delivery services to the community. Shuttle buses, micro-transit, goods delivery, vehicle valet, and a menagerie of fully automated vehicles will be fielded and operable here across a wide range of vehicle platforms driven by our TONY AV Kit,” said Paul Perrone, CEO of Perrone Robotics. “We’re excited to make available a diverse fleet of AVs that meet a wide range of needs of any community, campus, or work site here first at North Fork.”

Supporting and strengthening academic and economic growth in the Central Virginia region and the Commonwealth of Virginia broadly is at the heart of North Fork’s mission.

“We repeatedly seek new and unconventional ways to catalyze research and business collaboration between industry and the University,” said Deborah van Eersel, Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Marketing at the UVA Foundation. “We are delighted to partner with Perrone Robotics by providing room for them to grow and innovate while also meeting the needs of our larger community through a new amenity offering. We support efforts to enhance transit and accessibility for our tenants and visitors alike. As North Fork continues to grow, this partnership can help to create a more open and connected community.”

About Perrone Robotics

Perrone is a leading provider of fully automated vehicle systems. The company delivers mobility excellence via TONY® (short for "TO Navigate You"), a vehicle independent retrofit kit for use in the automated transit of people and goods in geo-fenced and localized operations. TONY embeds inside any vehicle type or model, for any job application to provide a complete "artificial driver" solution that brings full autonomy in a safety certifiable framework. Proven, piloted, and in commercial production, Perrone automated systems help commercial, municipal, and governmental customers increase transportation efficiencies, enhance safety, and accelerate zero-emission electric vehicle deployment. The company also offers a portfolio of existing turnkey automated shuttles and vehicles pre-integrated with the TONY AV-Retrofit kit.

About North Fork

An epicenter of discovery, North Fork is designed to bring established pioneers and emerging creative ideas together in a collaborative environment that sparks academic and economic growth. Offering more than 560 acres of flexible workspaces and natural gathering places, this enterprising community is filled with endless possibilities and great minds ready to reimagine the future. For more information on North Fork, visit DiscoverNorthFork.com.

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Media Contacts:

Perrone Robotics                                              University of Virginia Foundation
Nick Pilipowskyj                                                Deborah van Eersel
Vice President Business Operations           Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Marketing
npilipowskyj@perronerobotics.com           dvaneersel@uvafoundation.com