May Mobility orders electric minibuses from Italy
May Mobility is a technology company with its own software and hardware for autonomous driving. May Mobility has already equipped 40 vehicles of the Sienna minivan developed by Toyota for the US market with this technology. May Mobility uses the vehicles to provide autonomous shuttle services both on demand and in scheduled services.
May Mobility already offers such services at its headquarters in Ann Arbor in the US state of Michigan, as well as in six other US cities (some with safety drivers on board and some without) and three projects in Japan. At the same time, May Mobility is currently one of only three companies offering driverless driving services in the USA – the others are the long-established Google sister company Waymo and the Amazon subsidiary Zoox, which is currently rolling out its services. Meanwhile, General Motors has buried its robotaxi subsidiary Cruise.
The new partnership with Tecnobus from Italy now aims to deploy significantly larger vehicles in May Mobility’s transport services, as the Toyota Sienna only has a few usable seats. As part of the cooperation, May Mobility wants to make Tecnobus’ electric minibuses, which offer space for up to 30 passengers, fit for autonomous driving.
“Our partnership with Tecnobus shows that we’re serious about expanding transit access and reducing urban congestion,” said Edwin Olson, CEO and founder of May Mobility. “It’s a strong example of how doing the right thing for communities can also be great for growing our business.”
Tecnobus is a true pioneer of electric mobility, having presented the first version of its electric minibus called Gulliver back in 1988, which was first introduced into a public transport fleet in 1994. Today, the model has replaceable batteries with a capacity of 71.2 kWh, a range of 200 kilometres and a top speed of 55 kph. The vehicle is only 5.32 metres long. The vehicle is only 5.32 metres long.
“This collaboration combines Tecnobus’ electric mobility expertise with May Mobility’s cutting-edge autonomy to deliver a transformative transit solution. This new platform represents a significant evolution, perfectly aligned with the values of sustainability, reliability, and vision that Tecnobus has upheld for over 30 years, combining our expertise in electric mobility with their technological leadership in autonomous driving,” said Paolo Marini, CEO of Tecnobus.
The first Tecnobus autonomous minibuses using May Mobility’s patented AI technology called Multi-Policy-Decision-Making (MPDM) are expected to be road-ready in the first half of 2026 and are scheduled to enter service in the same year.
It is currently unknown how many minibuses May Mobility intends to purchase from Tecnobus. The company intends to integrate the vehicles into its fleet alongside the Toyota Siennas. With this fleet expansion, the company intends to serve a broader range of mobility applications, from ride-hailing services to high-capacity transit services.
The partnership with Tecnobus will also enable May Mobility to expand into new international markets, supported by the Tecnobus parent company Icap Group and its 30-year infrastructure in 27 countries with over 1,200 locations. Tecnobus electric buses are already homologated in Europe and Canada, which would be potential markets for May Mobility.
May Mobility was founded in 2017. BMW and Toyota already participated in May Mobility’s seed financing in 2018. By the last financing round at the end of 2023, May Mobility had raised around 300 million dollars from investors. The company keeps its cost structure lean by not acting as a robotaxi operator itself, but instead concluding long-term contracts as a transport service provider with municipalities or companies, for example.
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