GreenPower Motor Company Inc. (GreenPower) and Perrone Robotics have announced their Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) agreement.
Under this new agreement, the two companies will continue to build on the success of the original AV Star developed for the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) in 2019. The original AV Star was developed to meet a growing demand in the transit and transportation sector where reliable mobility was a requirement to expand accessibility options for all end-users. Once deployed in 2019, the JTA AV Star became the nation’s first fully autonomous, FMVSS certified, Altoona tested and Buy America compliant vehicle, according to GreenPower.
“Through Perrone’s leading autonomy solution combined with our purpose-built, all -electric vehicles, we are able to provide the industry with reliable, innovative solutions together. This is the most compelling autonomous transit solution out there, and we are honored to partner with the true industry leader,” said Fraser Atkinson, CEO of GreenPower. “This vehicle is going to be a market leading gamechanger, and we are looking forward to offering market-proven solutions at the national level.”
GreenPower and Perrone Robotics have come together to deliver the next generation of the AV Star. Through this OEM agreement, GreenPower’s EV Star, a multi-purpose, zero-emission, min-E Bus, will be up-fitted with Perrone's TONY® (short for "To Navigate You") autonomous vehicle retrofit kit, which will transform the EV Star to the AV Star. Built on the same chassis as the EV Star and combined with Perrone’s reliable autonomous vehicle platform, GreenPower says this makes the AV star one of the most reliable vehicles capable of autonomy in the market.
“This is an important milestone not only for Perrone and GreenPower, but the industry as a whole,” continued Atkinson. “As we kick off the first day at the American Public Transit Association Conference and Expo, we’re excited to showcase this breakthrough new platform to thousands of industry stakeholders at this prestigious event.”
"This new OEM agreement is an important step in delivering reliable and cost-effective AV mobility options for the transit and transportation industry,” added Paul Perrone, founder and CEO of Perrone Robotics, Inc. “Our ability to meet evolving customer needs depends on our ability to work with partners like GreenPower with quality electric vehicle solutions that are above and beyond the current market status. This is the only way we can scale autonomous vehicle solutions across the transit and transportation value chain. Cost-effective, reliable autonomy that can extend end-user accessibility is the future of mobility. This relationship with GreenPower continues to validate why Perrone Robotics is the autonomy solution of choice, for vehicle manufacturers, customers and AV passengers alike.”
The AV Star aims to be the leading solutions and mobility and transportation choice for cities, municipalities, private and public campuses and more, enhancing the customer and end-user experience. The vehicle is capable of carrying up to 16 passengers and ADA compliant at highway speeds.
The AV Star is currently being proved out in the industry through the company’s work with JTA and U2C to undergo testing for transit applications.
