Local Motors Signs OEM Agreement with Perrone Robotics
August 24, 2021
Perrone Robotics, which develops fully autonomous vehicle (AV) technology and turnkey vehicle solutions, has announced an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement with Local Motors, which develops shared electric autonomous shuttles. The two companies will develop next-generation autonomous shuttles that integrate Perrone’s AV technology into Olli, the shuttle designed and manufactured by Local Motors.
The collaboration brings together two leading innovators in the AV industry. Perrone holds a Pioneer Patent for its “MAX” General Purpose Robotics Operating System, and with its TONY solution the company has a “drop-in any vehicle” retrofit kit approach to autonomy, making it a very flexible and adaptable solution, Perrone said. Local Motors’ Olli line leverages 3D printing and agile processes to deliver fully integrated vehicles that evolve “at the speed of customer needs.”
With the agreement, the two companies plan on launching the Olli vehicle with Perrone’s TONY AV technology in the fall of 2021. Moving forward, Perrone Robotics will be the strategic software vendor for the Olli Autonomous Shuttle. Perrone said it will contribute its expertise in AV robotic technology development and deployment and integrate the TONY retrofit kit across the Olli vehicle line to enable deployments across customer use cases on both public and private roads where fully autonomous capability at posted speeds is required. Local Motors said it will support the integration, testing, deployment and mass production of the Olli vehicle. In addition, both companies said they will focus on scaled delivery and deployment of Olli vehicles integrated with Perrone’s technology for U.S. and international markets.
“This new OEM agreement is an important step in expanding our current customer base while enhancing the vehicle experience for passengers,” said Vikrant Aggarwal, president of Local Motors. “Our ability to meet evolving customer needs depends on our ability to work with partners with proven track records and the ability to scale. Our work with Perrone Robotics is another example of Local Motors’ open strategy of evaluating innovations in the market and integrating the best technology into Olli.”
“Local Motors’ Olli vehicle line represents a novel approach to autonomous people movement in a visionary futuristic platform that can be micro-manufactured at scale today,” said Paul Perrone, founder and CEO of Perrone Robotics. “We’re excited to work with Local Motors to provide our fully autonomous AV technology in Olli vehicles direct from the factory. Out of the gate, the new TONY AV-driven olli offers a reliable full autonomy solution operating at posted roadway speeds in a safety certifiable framework. As we continue to drive innovation and form key relationships like this one with Local Motors, the market will soon realize that Perrone Robotics is the autonomy solution of choice, for vehicle manufacturers, customers and AV passengers.”
For more details on Perrone Robotics, visit its website here. For details on the Local Motors’ Olli vehicle, visit its website here.
