Phoenix company’s self-driving minibus to get road tryout in nation’s capital
PHOENIX — But who gets the tip? An Arizona car-manufacturing company has plans to send a self-driving minibus onto the streets of at least two American cities before the year is over.
Local Motors of Phoenix and IBM will be putting the electric-powered Olli on the road first in Washington, D.C. sometime this summer and then Las Vegas, Tech Crunch website reported.
Self-driving minibus to hit streets in Las Vegas – https://t.co/E5kBCxmvKQ via @LasVegasSun #meetolli pic.twitter.com/ZQq6O5pPUv
— Local Motors (@localmotors) June 16, 2016
Officials in Miami-Dade County in Florida said they would consider a pilot program of the automated 12-passenger vehicle.
Olli will be loaded with IBM’s supercomputer system Watson and could see action as public transportation or for short rides.
Local Motors, a startup founded in 2007, produces 3D-printed automobile parts, motorcycles, electric bicycles. The company developed the world’s first 3D-printed electric car.
Endgadet reported that eventually Olli could be contacted for ride through an app and that the company’s John Rogers hoped that one day that the minibus could be 3D-printed and assembled in less than 12 hours.
Two years ago, Local Motors’ Rally Fighter was featured in a “Transformers” movie.
Olli was designed by Edgar Sarmiento, who won a crowdsourced contest.
