Phoenix Motor Inc., an electrification solutions provider for medium-duty vehicles, has successfully demonstrated the nation’s first autonomous cutaway shuttle bus with Houston METRO, in partnership with Perrone Robotics, STV and AECOM.
This is the first Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Buy America-compliant mid-size autonomous bus in the U.S., the company says.
Built on Phoenix Motor’s medium-duty ZEUS electric shuttle bus, the autonomous capability is enabled by equipping the vehicle with the TONY AV from Perrone Robotics, using the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) grant awarded to Houston. The autonomous bus will serve Texas Southern University and Houston’s Third Ward community.
“We are excited to be part of this groundbreaking project in partnership with Houston METRO and Perrone Robotics,” says Denton Peng, CEO of Phoenix Motorcars. “At Phoenix, we pride ourselves in leading the charge in electrifying shuttle buses, and enabling autonomous capabilities is crucial to unlocking the benefits of electric drivetrains.”
“This is a momentous occasion for our team who have been working closely with Houston METRO from the initial conceptualization stage through completion,” adds Jose Paul, chief revenue officer of Phoenix Motor. “Autonomous capability for electric vehicles is truly at the intersection of innovation and sustainability. It’s a stepping stone to introducing autonomous capabilities to our full offering of buses and trucks”.
Phoenix Motor operates two primary brands: Phoenix Motorcars, which is focused on commercial products, including medium-duty EVs, electric vehicle chargers and electric forklifts; and EdisonFuture, which intends to offer light-duty EVs.