EV Star to be Deployed in Autonomous Vehicle "Test & Learn" AV Test Program
LOS ANGELES, July 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GreenPower Motor Company Inc. (TSXV: GPV) (OTCQB: GPVRF) ("GreenPower"), a leading manufacturer and distributor of zero emissions electric powered vehicles serving the delivery and cargo, micro-transit, private transportation and school bus markets, announced today the development of the first fully autonomous EV Star shuttle to undergo testing for transit applications. Perrone Robotics (PRI) is currently integrating the autonomous components and, once complete, will deliver the vehicle to the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA).
"With this new partnership, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority will expand and ramp up our AV Test & Learn activities," said JTA Chief Executive Officer Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. "This work is laying the foundation for what will be the nation's first public transportation network powered by autonomous vehicles."
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is currently developing autonomous vehicle solutions for Jacksonville and has been working with AV technology since 2017. JTA has hired a former Amazon executive to lead their automation team and have created the minimum specifications for autonomous vehicles, the "Golden 20"; GreenPower's EV Star has met 19 of the 20, the most of any bus reviewed by JTA. In addition to developing a public transportation network in downtown Jacksonville, the JTA is working with local colleges, medical campuses and other partners to further validate and gain acceptance for this technology. The fully autonomous EV Star is expected to enter service later this year.
Brendan Riley, President of GreenPower commented, "This delivery will mark the first fully autonomous transit bus in the United States entering test operations and we are thrilled to partner with Perrone Robotics to serve this industry-leading AV program with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority. The speed with which the fully autonomous transit market is evolving is remarkable and is being accelerated by the current environment. Not only are we seeing the autonomous movement take hold, we are witnessing the transit footprint become smaller and more nimble which bodes well for our market position with the EV Star."
"We are very excited to be working with Jacksonville Transportation Authority on their AV Test program", said Paul Perrone, CEO and founder of Perrone Robotics, Inc. (PRI). "The combination of PRI's TONY™ autonomous kit with GreenPower's EV Star provides the most compelling autonomous transit solution out there. With rich autonomous capabilities and a future-proof architecture, TONY™ brings the best of today's – and tomorrow's – autonomy to the fantastic EV Star platform. We look forward to great results out of this partnership with the Jacksonville Transit Authority."
GreenPower continues to leverage its flagship EV Star Platform with four distinct models serving the cargo delivery, paratransit, private shuttle, and micro transit markets. The EV Star is the only bus in its class that comes with a standard J1772 level 2 fast charging and CCS DC fast combo charge system, allowing for optimal flexibility in route planning for any duty cycle.
For further information contact
Brendan Riley
President
(510) 910-3377
Ryne Shetterly
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
(909) 954-7530
Mike Cole
Investor Relations
(949) 444-1341
David Cawton
Communications Director, Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA)
(904) 239-7989
About GreenPower Motor Company Inc.
GreenPower designs, builds and distributes a full suite of high-floor and low-floor vehicles serving the cargo and delivery, transit, and school bus markets. GreenPower employs a purpose built clean-sheet design meaning all GreenPower buses were designed, engineered and manufactured from day one as zero emission all-electric vehicles. GreenPower integrates global suppliers for key components, such as Siemens or TM4 for the drive motors, Knorr for the brakes, ZF for the axles and Parker for the dash and control systems. This OEM platform allows GreenPower to meet the specifications of various operators while providing standard parts for ease of maintenance and accessibility for warranty requirements. For further information go to www.greenpowerbus.com.
About Perrone Robotics, Inc. (PRI)
Perrone Robotics is the creator of the "TONY" Autonomous Transit retrofit kit, built on MAX®, a general-purpose software platform for robotics and autonomous vehicles. TONY is intended to enable practical and commercially viable autonomous shuttling of people and things. With over 16 years of experience and over 35,000 miles autonomously driven, Perrone Robotics' autonomous technology enables standard vehicles of any size to be able to drive on public roads in traffic and handle typical scenarios such as intersections, yield turns, roundabouts, pedestrians, cyclists, etc.
About the Jacksonville Transportation Authority
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is an independent state agency serving Duval County, with multi-modal responsibilities. The JTA designs and constructs bridges and highways and provides varied mass transit services. These include express and regular bus service, monorail, ferry and on-demand services. The JTA serves the largest city in the continental U.S. in terms of landmass. An integrated transportation network is a critical element in any community to properly manage growth, provide mobility and offer a good quality of life. Learn more at www.jtafla.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This document contains forward-looking statements relating to, among other things, GreenPower's business and operations and the environment in which it operates, which are based on GreenPower's operations, estimates, forecasts and projections. Forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections about future events, and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "upon", "may", "should", "will", "could", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "anticipate", "expect", "believe" or "continue", or the negative thereof or similar variations. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict such as the expectation that a fully autonomous EV Star will enter service later this year, or are beyond GreenPower's control, such as work between GreenPower, Perrone and JTA will lay the foundation for what will be the nation's first public transportation network powered by autonomous vehicles. A number of important factors including those set forth in other public filings (filed under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com) could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. Consequently, readers should not place any undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. In addition, these forward-looking statements relate to the date on which they are made. GreenPower disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.© 2020 GreenPower Motor Company Inc. All rights reserved.
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