Post by account_disabled on Feb 17, 2024 22:46:02 GMT -5
You probably haven't heard of autonomous vehicle operator May Mobility because the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company is exceptionally good at avoiding the kind of headlines generated by other AV companies. In its six years of operation, there have been no injuries, accidents, blocked intersections or mass layoffs. While there have been some struggles, the company has proven to be an outlier among AV operators by continuing to raise money while others have seen their funding dry up. And now, May Mobility is ready to go driverless, a milestone that has the company taking stock of its successes and looking to the future. “The most capital-efficient audiovisual company the world has ever seen” "They're not robotaxis," May Mobility CEO Edwin Olson said of his company's business model.
We are selling long-term transport contracts, mainly Europe Mobile Number List to companies and governments, which makes us a really easy access route to implement the technology step by step, while keeping our consumption rate low. And to truly be the most capital-efficient audiovisual company the world has ever seen.” Robotaxi companies like Waymo and Cruise say the future of autonomous driving is an Uber-like service in dense cities. They argue that the only way to recover the costs of developing the technology is to run a service, without safety drivers, aimed at as wide a section of consumers as possible. That's not May Mobility's strategy, which instead focuses on fixed-route transportation in geofenced and easily mapable business districts, college campuses and gated residential communities.
Our strategy here is to really put things in our favor,” Olson said. “I think most people think that passenger-only service is a technological milestone. And it is, but it is much more than that.” "Our strategy here is really to put things in our favor." The first fully autonomous service in May on public roads will launch in Sun City, Arizona, a retirement community outside Phoenix. The company is working with app-based microtransport service Via to connect it with potential passengers. Their vehicles (modernized Toyota Sienna minivans with autonomous sensors and hardware) will be free to use, but will only operate Monday through Friday afternoons. While Phoenix has its fair share of driverless vehicles (Waymo operates there, as did Cruise before a pedestrian injury in San Francisco forced it to ground its fleet), Sun City hasn't seen as much activity.