May Mobility has started its second driverless operation in Ann Arbor, USA. Testing AV operations in Ann Arbor is a step toward expanding the brand’s autonomous services across the USA and Japan with partners such as Toyota, NTT and Lyft.
The driverless testing in Ann Arbor brings new challenges, including complexity of traffic, weather patterns and pedestrian density. It operates in and around approximately 5km2 of Ann Arbor streets now. May Mobility has also showcased its driver-out capabilities with 30-minute autonomous vehicle rides on public roads during its Technology Day in Ann Arbor.
“Starting driver-out operations in our second city in under a year shows the scalability of our technology while expanding our capabilities in challenging weather, higher speeds and busy traffic,” said Edwin Olson, CEO and co-founder of May Mobility.
May Mobility’s vehicles are equipped with the company’s patented Multi-Policy Decision Making (MPDM) technology, which uses in-situ AI to interpret data in real time. This promotes continuously learning and adapting to new and unpredictable driving conditions. Therefore, MPDM solves the industry’s biggest challenge by adjusting to unexpected conditions, allowing the company to scale quickly to new environments. May continues to develop and advance the technology to handle an increasingly complex operational design domain (ODD).
May Mobility’s newest driver-out operations also introduce the company’s latest generation of autonomy hardware and UX upgrades. Now, passengers will get a view of the vehicle’s perception and decision-making ability while it navigates. The vehicles have also been upgraded with accessibility in mind, including automated audio announcements and a physical keypad that includes braille.
With no safety operator behind the wheel, May Mobility has implemented a robust tele-assist platform for consistent monitoring of vehicle behavior and to provide vehicle assistance as needed. As a result, riders with questions or concerns can connect with customer support at the touch of a button.
May Mobility said it has successfully demonstrated AD technology through multiple commercial deployments, including 10 active deployments, which will increase to 13 by the end of this year. The company initially launched driverless operations in Sun City, Arizona, and recently announced a partnership with Lyft.