Sign up for our weekly emails to stay up to date on the latest news!
May Mobility, a leader in autonomous driving technology, has launched a new autonomous vehicle (AV) service utilizing Toyota’s e-Palette platform at Toyota Motor Kyushu Co.’s (TMK) Miyata factory in Fukuoka, Japan. This service aims to enhance the transportation experience for employees and guests by offering an efficient transit option throughout the factory campus.
Key Highlights:
- Customized e-Palette Deployment: The deployment uses a tailored version of Toyota’s e-Palette, designed specifically for mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) applications.
- Advanced Technology Integration: May Mobility integrated its Multi-Policy Decision Making (MPDM) technology into the e-Palette, enabling real-time decision-making and adaptive learning.
- Operational Service Details: The AV service provides six designated stops around the factory campus, available Monday through Friday during regular business hours.
- Local Safety Compliance: The service features an autonomous vehicle operator (AVO) to ensure safety compliance with local regulations.
In 2022, May Mobility gained access to Toyota’s next-generation e-Palette platform, incorporating its autonomous driving kit and MPDM technology. Extensive testing and evaluation in Japan demonstrated significant improvements in vehicle behavior and the platform’s capability to meet performance requirements. This integration has enabled May Mobility’s technology to assess thousands of potential scenarios per second, allowing the e-Palette to continuously improve its autonomous driving capabilities.
The Toyota e-Palette is a battery-electric, MaaS vehicle platform, pre-configured for third-party autonomous kits. This setup includes sensor and computing spaces, making it suitable for quick integration of advanced AD systems.
“Our long-standing relationship with Toyota is key to driving innovation within the mobility-as-a-service space and I’m excited to expand our autonomous vehicle product offering with the e-Palette’s larger, EV form factor,” said Edwin Olson, CEO and co-founder of May Mobility. “Toyota’s e-Palette platform together with May Mobility’s technologies will help drive us toward our vision of greater transportation accessibility across Japan.”
The new AV service at the Miyata factory includes six stops within a designated zone, starting from the southeast corner of the campus and looping around the northern end before returning to its starting point. The service aims to provide an additional, convenient transit option for employees and guests during regular business hours. Local safety regulations require an AVO to supervise the autonomous vehicle operation, ensuring passenger safety.
This deployment is part of a series of planned AV operations across Japan this year. MONET Technologies is also collaborating on this project, contributing to future service expansions. Additionally, May Mobility is partnering with its investor NTT for further service rollouts.
May Mobility has already provided over 400,000 rides in the U.S. and Japan, including locations such as Nagoya City, Japan; Ann Arbor, MI; Detroit, MI; Grand Rapids, MN; Miami, FL; Arlington, TX; Martinez, CA; and Sun City, AZ. These experiences underline May Mobility’s growing presence in the autonomous vehicle market, driven by innovation and strategic partnerships.
About May Mobility
May Mobility is redefining the future of autonomous mobility-as-a-service (MaaS). With its patented MPDM system, May Mobility integrates real-time learning and offline training to ensure efficiency and safety in unpredictable situations. The company operates on-demand shared rides across the U.S. and Japan, aiming to provide safer, more efficient transportation in diverse environments. For more information, visit www.maymobility.com.
Sign up for our weekly emails to stay up to date on the latest news!
