Sway Mobility & Mapless AI in Detroit car share scheme

Sway Mobility and remote driving technology company Mapless AI have set up a car-share pilot programme in Detroit using Kia Niro electric vehicles.

People in the Corktown area of the northern US city can arrange for a vehicle by using the Corktown Carshare website or mobile app. Using Mapless AI’s technology, the remotely-operated EV is driven to the customer in a process called teleoperation.

The introductory minimum one-hour rental rate is $5 plus tax per hour and the pilot programme will run for six months. At the moment there is only one teleoperated vehicle but the companies expect to introduce more across Detroit.

The pilot is supported by the State of Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification through the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform, the Detroit Transportation Innovation Zone and NextEnergy.

A recent article in Forbes magazine noted that connectivity between the car and the remote operator is accomplished by aggregating multiple cellular networks. Meanwhile, an on-board computer is responsible for safety as a fail-safe against inevitable network outtages, said Jeffrey Johnson, co-founder of Mapless AI.

The pilot is intended to provide data about teleoperation, customer usage and cost-savings to launch bigger services for more people.