Drone Delivery Canada (DDC) and Toyota Tsusho Canada Inc. (TTCI) have signed an agreement to work together on a UAS delivery logistics platform.
Through the agreement, TTCI, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Tsusho America Inc., will take part in DDC’s commercial pilot program in Canada as an initial stage.
Together, the two entities will look to begin flight testing, and identify other international markets to deploy DDC’s proprietary UAS delivery platform as a transportation option.
Pilot Projects
Pilot Projects
Sacramento mulling driverless car program
A driverless car program could be headed to the city of Sacramento, California.
According to CBS Sacramento, Sacramento’s Chief Innovation Officer Louis Stewart is “paving the way” for Phantom Auto—which offers a “teleoperation-as-a-service safety solution” for all autonomous vehicles—to launch a test program on city streets by June.
For Stewart, Sacramento is the perfect location for a program like this.
“Sacramento is the locus of power,” Stewart says. “We have all the politicians here, we have all the regulatory bodies here, and we have a citizenry that’s actually hungry for this kind of technology.”
Autonomous buses to be tested in Gainesville starting in August
As part of a three-year, $2.6 million dollar project between the city of Gainesville, Florida and the University of Florida, three autonomous buses are expected to begin operating on Gainesville Regional Transit System (RTS) bus routes in downtown Gainesville in late August.
Capable of holding up to 12 passengers at a time, the buses can fully operate on their own, but they will have operators onboard to start with once they hit the road in a few months.
HorseFly truck-launched Autonomous Drone Package Delivery System making package deliveries in Cincinnati area
Through a pilot program with the City of Loveland, Ohio and the FAA, the HorseFly truck-launched Autonomous Drone Package Delivery System is currently making package deliveries to homes in the Cincinnati area, Workhorse Group Inc. has announced.
Consumers in select Cincinnati zip codes opted-in to accept packages from Horsefly via the Workhorse Ares Drone Package Delivery App, which is designed to “seamlessly integrate with existing online e-commerce platforms.”
“We feel this is a game-changing moment to innovate the way packages are delivered for many years to come,” says Steve Burns, Workhorse CEO.
Drive.ai launching self-driving pilot program in Frisco, Texas in July
Drive.ai has announced that it is launching a pilot program to bring an on-demand self-driving car service to Frisco, Texas starting in July 2018.
Drive.ai describes this program as a “milestone for the State of Texas,” as it will be the first time that members of the public will have access to an on-demand self-driving car service on public roads.
“Self-driving cars are here, and can improve the way we live right now,” says Sameep Tandon, co-founder and CEO of Drive.ai.
“Our technology is safe, smart, and adaptive, and we are ready to work with governments and businesses to solve their transportation needs.”
Fully Autonomous Vehicle Testing Pilot Program launches in Connecticut
On April 17, Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced the launch of Connecticut’s Fully Autonomous Vehicle Testing Pilot Program (FAVTPP).
Created by legislation that Malloy signed into law in 2017, FAVTPP is an initiative that will “help bring Connecticut to the forefront of the innovative and burgeoning autonomous vehicle industry.”
Under the terms of the program, interested towns and cities that would like to participate in FAVTPP and allow the testing of fully autonomous vehicles on their roadways must submit an application to the state. After a review is conducted, up to four municipalities will be selected for participation.
Sacramento State planning for self-driving electric shuttle
Sacramento State's University Transportation and Parking Services (UTAPS) is looking into bringing a self-driving electric shuttle to campus.
Right now, the shuttle is in the planning stages by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), UTAPS, the City of Sacramento and Regional Transit.
UTAPS Director Tony Lucas says that the goal of the project is to “ease commute times for students who use the light rail,” as the shuttle would take commuters from the 65th Street Light Rail Station to campus. Lucas says that a dedicated track operating from the station to campus— without having to go through rush-hour traffic on Folsom Boulevard—will help accomplish that goal.
Las Vegas launches first self-driving shuttle pilot project in the United States
On Wednesday, Nov. 8, the nation’s first self-driving shuttle pilot project designed specifically for the public was launched in Las Vegas, Nevada. The pilot project will utilize an autonomous shuttle from Navya.
The goal of the one-year pilot project, which is a result of a partnership between AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah (AAA), the city of Las Vegas, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) and Keolis North America (Keolis), is to provide Las Vegas residents and visitors with a first-hand experience of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology, providing many people with their first hands-on experience with the technology.
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