French pioneer of autonomous vehicle technology and smart mobility systems EasyMile has opened a new office in Berlin as part of its ongoing global expansion in key markets and technology centers that includes several projects in Germany.
The grand opening in Berlin follows last December’s inauguration of an office in Denver, Colorado, USA, and marks yet another milestone for the global startup, highlighting its rapid growth.
Located in the InnoZ building (Innovation Center for Mobility and Societal Change) at the EUREF Campus technology R&D district, the office will serve local clients and partners such as regulation authorities, transport operators, airports, corporations, business parks, and universities in their search for new mobility solutions. The new office will also act as a technical and maintenance center for customers locally.
Since December 2017, EasyMile has been running one of its EZ10 driverless shuttles every working day with InnoZ on the EUREF Campus in the heart of Berlin. On the other side of the city, EasyMile shuttles have been running since March in a project by Charité, BVG and the State of Berlin on the Charité Hospital Campus, offering visitors, patients and employees an autonomous transportation solution.
EasyMile is providing first-mile/last-mile autonomous mobility solutions globally, with 65 shuttles operating in 21 different countries, and the company’s EZ10 vehicle is currently the world’s most deployed automated shuttle.
EasyMile has two other ongoing projects in Germany. In the Bavarian town of Bad Birnbach, Ioki, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, has implemented EZ10 driverless shuttles from the town center to the thermal baths. The service has been in operation since October 2017, and the EZ10 was the first autonomous passenger vehicle assessed for open road usage by experts from TÜV SÜD, the German inspection and product certification organization, paving the way for its operation in the country’s public transport network. This certification marked a milestone for EasyMile, making its innovative technology potentially part of Germany’s future mobility services.
German automotive technology supplier Continental acquired a minority stake in EasyMile last year, and the two companies have been demonstrating autonomous transport on the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences campus in partnership with the city’s public transport authority VGF. The Frankfurt UAS project has been using a driverless CUbE (Continental Urban Mobility Experience) vehicle, which is based on the EZ10 platform.
At the opening of its new office, Gilbert Gagnaire, founder and CEO of EasyMile, said, “We are very proud of our contribution to make Berlin one of the leading smart cities in Germany with three EasyMile driverless vehicles currently running. Berlin has a vibrant technology ecosystem and we look forward to working closely with the community and our partners here. I am delighted to be in Berlin to celebrate the opening of our new office and this great new partnership of two of the biggest transport operators in Germany: BVG and Deutsche Bahn.”
