Arcimoto, Faction and GoCar Tours Develop Autonomous Electric Vehicles for Touring
Arcimoto, an electric vehicle manufacturer, has partnered with Faction Technology and GoCar Tours to develop up to 310 autonomous electric vehicles equipped with Faction’s DriveLink and TeleAssist technologies and GoCar’s patented GoCar Network technology, which allows users to explore new cities on their own route at their own pace.
The partnership provides for an initial 20-car pilot program starting with GoCar Tours Las Vegas in 2023. Following the successful completion of the pilot, GoCar will begin a phased rollout of the remaining vehicles in GoCar’s regions of presence in Las Vegas, San Francisco, and San Diego, California, followed by Barcelona, Spain, and Lisbon, Portugal.
Jesse Fittipaldi, Interim CEO of Arcimoto, says:
“This is an exciting fusion of three cutting-edge technologies that directly aligns with our vision for the future of sustainable transportation. By combining Arcimoto’s electric vehicle platform with Faction autonomous driving technology and GoCar’s GPS tours, we will be able to autonomously deliver electric vehicles to customers, after which they can take control of. This is an amazing idea for today’s travel market, and it will be the next key step in our future plans to introduce self-driving electric vehicles for everyday driving.”
The patented GoCar Network technology allows users to explore the city. GoCar’s Mobile Guide is the “world’s first GPS” that gives you directions, jokes, restaurant recommendations and local stories that bring every city to life.
Nathan Whitrington, Founder of GoCar Tours, says:
“This is an incredible innovation on many levels that greatly improves the rental experience for our customers while reducing the cost of operating the fleet. I love that the customer can book a car that will autonomously arrive at the location, after which he get in the car and take control, having an award-winning GoCar experience, stopping anywhere, anytime. And then when they get back to their hotel, the driverless Arcimoto will be back in our fleet.”
Faction’s DriveLink and TeleAssist technologies will enable GoCar’s electric vehicles to combine autonomy with human remote control. Faction’s technology architecture is designed with driverless systems in mind, allowing it to adopt new technologies radically faster than legacy automotive platforms.
Faction has partnered with innovative companies to develop sophisticated teleoperation capabilities, precise vehicle positioning, hazard recognition, and vehicle design to meet 90% of single-passenger urban travel.
Ayn McKendrick, CEO of Faction, says:
“This is an exciting use case for Faction’s driverless technology, allowing customers to have a world-class touring and driving experience right at their doorstep. Exploring a new city at your own pace is much more enticing than any oversized tour bus.” powered by gasoline, with the added convenience of not having to stand in line to pick up or return the vehicle.”
