Free Electric Autonomous Shuttle Service Launches In Detroit – CleanTechnica

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A free, autonomous, fully electric shuttle service launched on August 13th in Detroit. The State of Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, the City of Detroit, Bedrock, Michigan Central, and Perrone Robotics worked together to create the shuttle system, which utilizes Ford E-Transit vans. (Even though online there is a squishy, anti-EV narrative claiming all EV sales are down, Ford posted some information in July that E-Transits were selling well.)

Perhaps this fact is not surprising considering electric vans can be great for fleets that operate daily on shorter routes. In fact, for the recently launched free autonomous shuttle service in Detroit, they may be about perfect. Electric vehicles are much more energy efficient than vehicles that use fossil fuels, and in the Detroit shuttle use case, there will be multiple riders per vehicle. Of course, an E-Transit shuttle has no tailpipe and does not directly generate toxic air pollution, so that’s also a win for Detroit’s air quality.

Kevin Mull, Senior Urban Strategy & Innovation Director at Bedrock, answered some questions about the new shuttle for CleanTechnica.

Who is the free shuttle service for?

The Connect is made possible by funding from the operating partners Bedrock, Michigan Central, City of Detroit, MDOT and the Michigan State Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME). The service is completely free and available for all of Detroit and its visitors.

Do riders reserve a space, or is it first come, first served?

Ridership is based on a first come, first served basis. However, riders can track the shuttles in realtime by visiting theconnect.liftango.com.

How long does it take to ride the full length of the 10.8-mile journey?

Drive time for the full route is approximately 45-55 minutes.

How many electric shuttles are in the fleet and how many passengers can they transport?

Originally, the fleet was anticipated to launch with 4 shuttles. But, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) recently provided $1.67 million in additional funding, allowing us to add a fifth shuttle and extend the service for another year. Sizing of the individual shuttles varies, four have 6-seat capacity and one has 9-seat capacity with wheelchair accessibility.

Where will the shuttles charge?

The shuttles are stored and charged at the Detroit Smart Parking Lab, located within Bedrock’s Assembly Garage. By storing and charging the shuttles at the DSPL, we are able to utilize new lab deployments for fast charging, including the IONDynamics FlashBot fast-charging system.

For more information on IONDynamics: https://www.instagram.com/bedrockdetroit/reel/C9fcQ0LR68P/?hl=en

A safety operator will be behind the steering wheel of each shuttle during the pilot, but will each shuttle be fully driven by technology?

Correct. During the initial deployment period, each shuttle will be driven by a safety operator. Over the next couple months, we plan to fully deploy the autonomous system, which will allow every shuttle to be fully self-driven – with a safety driver present.

Why electric shuttles instead of gas or diesel ones?

We launched The Connect specifically to demonstrate a real-world use-case for the mobility innovation taking place in Detroit. The goal of this pilot is to set a new standard for sustainable, efficient and community-centric mobility options.

How long does to take fully charge an electric shuttle?

Charging varies depending on what EV charging system is currently being utilized. There is the option for DC fast chargers that provide ‘lunchtime’ charging, or Level 2 chargers for overnight charging.