Karma Automotive has formed a strategic partnership with Line Mobility to supply engineering, manufacturing, and design services for an on-demand autonomous transit system that runs on elevated guideways above street level. Line Mobility, a developer of elevated on-demand transit networks, builds a platform that moves passengers point-to-point using a patented, rapidly deployable guideway network rather than open roads. Through the collaboration, announced this week, Karma extends its vehicle technology and software-defined architecture to help the transit company deploy zero-emission vehicles — an approach the partners say can ease congestion and improve air quality in cities, on college campuses, and at airports.
Highlights
- Karma will provide Line Mobility with engineering services covering battery technology and electric motors, manufacturing capabilities, and design services spanning product ideation and passenger experience.
- Line Mobility’s platform uses a patented, prefabricated overhead guideway to move passengers point-to-point above street level, which the company says avoids the open-road conditions that complicate autonomous vehicle deployment.
- The agreement is the second technology collaboration in Karma’s broader strategy; the first is a tie-up with Factorial Energy (NASDAQ: FAC) on solid-state and semi-solid-state batteries.
- Line Mobility operates a test track in Southern California and offices in Moreno Valley, where its team works alongside Karma’s designers and engineers.
How Line Mobility’s Transit System Works
Line Mobility’s on-demand autonomous platform relies on a patented, rapidly deployable elevated guideway to carry passengers point-to-point, which the company positions as faster and safer than robotaxis or conventional transit. By keeping vehicles on a dedicated overhead network, the system removes the open operating environments that the company describes as the biggest obstacle to safe autonomous deployment. The elevated design is also meant to hold down the infrastructure cost tied to surface-level and underground transit by using prefabricated overhead guideways.
The result, according to Line Mobility, is higher-speed transit running above street level, aimed at reducing congestion across North America and other markets.
What Karma Brings to the Partnership
Karma will contribute engineering services that include battery technology and electric motors, along with manufacturing capabilities and design services spanning product ideation and the passenger experience. The company points to its background as an ultra-luxury manufacturer and an early developer of Hybrid EREV (Extended-Range Electric Vehicle) technology, as well as its work on next-generation battery-electric technologies including solid-state and semi-solid-state batteries. Karma cites its Revero sport sedan and the upcoming Gyesera Grand Coupe as examples of its production work.
“At Karma Automotive we believe our role is to be a light to the future of the mobility ecosystem,” says Marques McCammon, President and Chief Executive, Karma Automotive. “We seek to use our elevated product and market position to not only celebrate the success of our core clients, but also to pilot the technologies that will elevate society as a whole. We’re proud to bring Karma Automotive’s capabilities to this partnership with Line Mobility, which has the potential to safely and robustly transform how people and goods of every market segment move across our cities and beyond.”
A Second Technology Partnership for Karma
The Line Mobility agreement is the second external technology partnership Karma has cited in its strategy of applying premium-vehicle engineering to other sectors. The first is a collaboration with Factorial Energy (NASDAQ: FAC) focused on bringing solid-state and semi-solid-state battery technology into production. Line Mobility, which runs a test track in Southern California and keeps offices in Moreno Valley, has its team working directly with Karma’s product designers and engineers.
“Line Mobility is building a new category of public transportation: automated, electric, space-efficient, and designed to be deployed far faster and at dramatically lower cost than conventional systems,” says Heri Diarte, Chief Executive Officer, Line Mobility. “Partnering with Karma Automotive gives us access to world-class capabilities as we move from breakthrough system architecture to deployable mobility infrastructure.”
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