Sway Mobility and Mapless AI have launched Corktown Carshare, a teleoperated EV carsharing pilot program, in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood. The pilot, which is supported by the state of Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, is designed to demonstrate the benefits of teleoperated electric carsharing, and to provide data-driven insights that will inform the future deployment of similar programs in cities across the US.

“Most car owners only drive their cars a few hours a week, which means many of us spend a lot of money for our cars to sit idle in a parking space or garage,” said Michael Peters, CEO and co-founder of Sway Mobility. “Expanding access to affordable, sustainable mobility options by providing carshare-as-a-service will enable more people—particularly those who cannot or do not want to own a private car—to get around town easily and cost-effectively.”

Sway Mobility, which designs and operates carshare-as-a-service programs in communities nationwide, is using Mapless AI’s remote driving technology to deploy an EV throughout Corktown. Sway Mobility EVs will be driven by Mapless AI’s remote operators to high-demand locations each morning, where they will be available for customers to access by scheduling a trip through a mobile app. At the end of each day, the EVs will be tele-driven to charging stations where they will charge overnight. The pilot will use existing, underutilized charging infrastructure. As the pilot progresses, the partners plan to deploy charging depots at various locations throughout the community to scale the program.

“Mapless AI’s cutting-edge remote driving technology is transforming the way we think about shared mobility, making carsharing more seamless, accessible and cost-effective,” said Philipp Robbel, CEO and co-founder of Mapless AI. “We are offering Detroit residents an affordable alternative to car ownership while showcasing how teleoperated EV fleets, powered by our unique safety-first technology, can transform urban transportation.”

Source: Sway Mobility