Mobileye, a division of Intel Corp., Beep Inc. and Benteler EV Systems are collaborating to develop and deploy automotive-grade, fully electric autonomous shuttles across North America.
The shuttles would be used in first- and last-mile use cases in urban areas with deployments expected to begin in 2024.
The Level 4 electric shuttles will be designed to meet automotive industry standards as well as safety standards for public road use. Benteler’s autonomous shuttles will be equipped with Mobileye’s self-driving system called Mobileye Drive and supported by Beep’s operations systems, technology and services.
“Multi-passenger micro-transit needs are ever-increasing in our cities and towns globally and must be addressed in order to reduce road congestion, protect the environment and provide safe, reliable mobility for all to access,” explained Hinrich Woebcken, advisory board member for Beep and former CEO of Volkswagen North America. “Bringing to market an affordable, automotive-grade, electric, autonomous mover is a solution that will transform mobility as we know it today.”
Benteler will develop the shuttles and integrate the subsystems into the final vehicle with production taking place in the U.S. The companies also plan to roll out the shuttles to other countries in the future.
“Autonomous movers are the solution for future public transportation, solving the mobility challenges of increasing urbanization and emissions,” said Marco Kollmeier, managing director of Benteler EV Systems GmbH. “These movers need to be robust for 24/7 public or commercial use, at optimized costs and with excellent riding comfort. Consequently, we decided to go for this strategic collaboration with our partners Mobileye and Beep, to build autonomous movers delivering exactly against these market demands. Another example of how we make the mobility of tomorrow lighter, safer and more sustainable.”
