Driverless technology has arrived at the iconic nature reserve of the US’s Yellowstone National Park.
Beep, a provider of multi-passenger, electric, autonomous mobility vehicles, has launched the park’s first autonomous shuttle program, called T.E.D.D.Y. (The Electric Driverless Demonstration in Yellowstone), a homage to the US President Teddy Roosevelt a champion of the national parks network. The vehicles, created in partnership with Local Motors, will help the National Park Service to test the feasibility and sustainability of autonomous mobility and better plan for the future of transportation.
Beep will run two routes, seven days a week at Yellowstone, collecting information such as ridership, route optimization and overall vehicle operations. Learnings and data gathered will help inform potential future deployments in national parks across the country. The company has already managed the largest autonomous shuttle service in Lake Nona, Fla., coupled with a track record in operating vehicles on public roads.
Joe Moye, Beep CEO, said: “Our safety centric approach is a vital component in our planning, management and oversight of the operation to ensure we are providing visitors with a safe and sustainable mode of transport while enjoying the park. Our team spent several weeks onsite leading up to the start of the program conducting rigorous route testing, as well as training first responders and frontline workers in order to protect and preserve all that Yellowstone has to offer.”
— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_
Source: https://www.tu-auto.com
