The Big Story: They're Heeere! Autonomous Vehicles No Longer Science Fiction

It's been 15 years since the U.S. government first challenged developers to create vehicles that could drive themselves. The wait is over.

David Zoia Editor, Executive Director-Content

September 17, 2018

1 Min Read
Mercedes-Benz F-015

It’s official. Autonomous vehicles are a reality.

Operating along a 1-mile (1.6- km) route in downtown Detroit, purpose-built AVs are now in commercial use, shuttling up to 500 workers daily from parking lots to their offices in buildings scattered about a small section of the city.

The vehicles, converted Polaris GEM neighborhood electric vehicles, can travel at speeds up to 25 mph (40 km/h), but traffic and stoplights put the average at less than 20 mph (32 km/h). The project is the work of May Mobility, an Ann Arbor, MI-based tech start-up that is responsible for the vehicle’s Level 4 (geofenced) autonomous drive system. The vehicles themselves are converted to 6-passenger people carriers by contract assembler and parts supplier Magna at its facility in Troy, MI.

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About the Author

David Zoia Editor

Executive Director-Content

Dave writes about autonomous vehicles, electrification and other advanced technology and industry trends.

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