Peachtree Corners trials autonomous shuttle service

The City of Peachtree Corners, GA has announced the launch of a new autonomous vehicle (AV) project. The ‘Piloting Autonomous Use Locally’ (PAUL) programme will test four AV shuttles in a real-world environment.

The project has been developed in collaboration with mobility provider Beep, with vehicles connected via T-Mobile’s 5G network to power telematics data and enable interaction with 5G connected infrastructure along the city’s Integrated Transportation Systems (ITS) corridor.

“From the beginning, we’ve made it our mission to create the city street of the future in the most differentiated smart city environment in North America – and with Beep launching the new PAUL autonomous shuttle service, we’re continuing to break new ground,” said Brian Johnson, City Manager, Peachtree Corners.

“This deployment not only allows for the continued development and deployment of safe, enjoyable and eco-friendly transportation options – but it also allows a true mobility-as-a-service pioneer like Beep to leverage our city-owned V2X infrastructure and vibrant ecosystem to help accelerate new technology development that further enhances safety and earns critical trust from the public.”

A safety driver will accompany each vehicle, which can accommodate up to ten passengers.

The shuttles will operate from 10am to 4pm daily, along seven stops on the Technology Parkway – Curiosity Lab route, and passengers can use the service free of charge.

Real-world testing

Joe Moye, CEO of Beep, said: “We’re delighted to join the Peachtree Corners community and further advance real-world autonomous mobility in one of the most unique smart city ecosystems in the world.

“We’re excited to leverage the city’s advanced cellular-V2X technology, 5G and more smart city infrastructure to enable deeper learnings, to analyse vehicle data and to develop new proprietary technologies that advance true Level 4 and 5 autonomous service in the real world – while also working with government to help evolve policy and regulation alongside the technology.”

French cloud provider OVHcloud will deliver compute, storage and other cloud platform resources, which will allow the city and select technology partners to manage, analyse, gain critical insights and make informed decisions from the massive amounts of data generated from the autonomous vehicles and sensors across connected infrastructure.

In December 2020, Peachtree Corners launched a solar roadway system which produced energy for an electric vehicle (EV) charging station at city hall.

The solar roadway is on a section of an autonomous vehicle test lane in the city’s Curiosity Lab real-world testing environment and has been provided through a partnership with The Ray, a non-profit proving ground in Atlanta.

Image: City of Peachtree Corners