Peachtree Corners (one of the US’s first smart city environments with connected infrastructure) and T-Mobile 5G are to launch a fleet of autonomous shuttles, known as PAUL (Piloting Autonomous Use Locally), for residents of the city later this year.
The service, implemented by Beep – a developer of multi-passenger, electric, autonomous mobility solutions – will operate along the city’s Technology Parkway and will include stops at popular destinations in the area such as hotels, restaurants, retail shops, the Innovation Center at Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners, and City Hall.
“From the beginning, we’ve made it our mission to create the city street of the future in the most differentiated smart city environment in North America,” explained Brian Johnson, city manager of Peachtree Corners. “And with Beep launching the new PAUL autonomous shuttle service, we’re continuing to break new ground. This deployment not only allows for the continued development and deployment of safe, enjoyable and eco-friendly transportation options but it also allows a true Mobility as a Service pioneer like Beep to leverage our city-owned V2X infrastructure and vibrant ecosystem to help accelerate new technology development that further enhances safety and earns critical trust from the public.”
The fleet will comprise autonomous electric vehicles from leading manufacturers Navya and Local Motors, which produces Olli, a 3D-printed autonomous vehicle. “We’re delighted to join the Peachtree Corners community and further advance real-world autonomous mobility in one of the most unique smart city ecosystems in the world,” said Joe Moye, CEO of Beep. “We’re excited to leverage the city’s advanced cellular-V2X technology, 5G and more smart city infrastructure to enable deeper learning, to analyze vehicle data and to develop new proprietary technologies that advance true Level 4 and 5 autonomous service in the real world – while also working with government to help evolve policy and regulation alongside the technology.”
Beep’s autonomous shuttles will be connected on T-Mobile’s 5G network. Each shuttle is equipped with a 5G gateway to power telematics data and enable interaction with 5G connected infrastructure along the Integrated Transportation Systems (ITS) corridor. In addition, OVHcloud will deliver compute, storage and other cloud platform resources, which will allow the city and select technology partners to manage, analyze, gain critical insights and make informed decisions from the massive amounts of data generated from the autonomous vehicles and sensors across connected infrastructure.