Partnership aims to accelerate the future of
urban mobility within commercial and microtransit markets
Optimus Ride, a leading autonomous mobility service provider,
and Polaris Inc. (NYSE: PII) today announced a partnership to bring
fully autonomous GEM vehicles to market. Under this joint
development agreement, an exclusive line of Polaris GEM electric
low-speed vehicles (LSVs) will be manufactured to fully integrate
Optimus Ride’s autonomous software and hardware suite direct from
the factory for deployment nationwide on streets in residential
communities, corporate and academic campuses, and other localized
environments. This partnership builds upon an investment Polaris
made last year in Optimus Ride. Combining Optimus Ride’s
cutting-edge, full-stack autonomous vehicle technology with
Polaris’ ability to quickly develop and scale production of these
state-of-the-art vehicles represents an important milestone in the
deployment of driverless, remotely monitored autonomous
vehicles.
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Optimus Ride and Polaris partner to
manufacture a custom designed line of Polaris GEM electric
low-speed vehicles that will fully integrate Optimus Ride’s
autonomous software and hardware suite direct from the factory for
deployment nationwide on streets in residential communities,
corporate and academic campuses, and other localized environments.
(Photo: Business Wire)
Together, Optimus Ride and Polaris Commercial, a division of
Polaris, have set out to solve a real mobility problem through
autonomous vehicle technology. In many environments, cars, vans and
buses play inefficient roles in mobility, creating unnecessary
pollutants, costs and safety concerns. Right-sized, all-electric,
fully autonomous GEMs are a safe, cost effective and sustainable
solution. In fact, Optimus Ride has already successfully completed
more than 75,000 rides with Polaris GEM vehicles over the last two
years across deployment sites throughout the country, demonstrating
significantly lower transportation investment, enhancing the rider
experience and doing it with established LSV safety benefits.
“Expanding our partnership with Polaris accelerates our pursuit
to transform personal mobility by delivering on-demand, autonomous
transportation services to communities across the country,” said
Optimus Ride CEO Sean Harrington. “Polaris is the ideal partner to
bring these vehicles to market with their established leadership in
the LSV space, ability to quickly scale production and their deep
knowledge of and experience in urban mobility. We are excited to
formally commit to transforming our mobility services to a fully
autonomous experience.”
Optimus Ride GEM-based electric, autonomous vehicles are already
revolutionizing microtransit, transporting passengers in geofenced
communities in Massachusetts, Virginia, California, New York, and
Washington, D.C., and the company recently received approval to
begin testing its autonomous vehicles on public roads in the state
of California. Autonomous mobility services provide shorter
passenger wait times and travel times, improved vehicle utilization
and occupancy, extended coverage hours with greater flexibility,
verifiable reduction in GHG emissions and reduced parking
requirements for new developments. And with the recent launch of
the Opti Ride app, Optimus Ride provides a comprehensive mobility
service complete with scheduling services through its app and
enterprise platform.
“As a leader in their industry, Optimus Ride is helping to shape
the future of transportation with its turnkey autonomous mobility
service and its focus on safety, reliability, convenience and
sustainability. We share these priorities and, building off our
equity investment from last year, Polaris is pleased to take our
partnership to the next level by co-developing autonomous GEM
vehicles,” said Keith Simon, vice president and general manager of
Polaris Commercial. “We are committed to working together to
promote the widespread adoption of autonomous GEM vehicles across
the country. This partnership will bring trusted, safe and fully
autonomous rides into the everyday lives of people on campuses, in
cities and in communities for years to come.”
Optimus Ride and Polaris will work together over the next two
years to bring these new fully autonomous vehicles to market by the
second half of 2023. Once development is complete, the two
companies will partner to deploy the driverless vehicles at sites
across the country.
Backed by more than 65 years of Polaris innovation, Polaris
Commercial not only manufactures all-electric urban mobility
solutions as part of its portfolio, but also offers a comprehensive
line of dependable, safe, and cost-efficient vehicle solutions for
professionals who transport people or haul equipment in urban and
industrial environments.
More information on Optimus Ride’s autonomous, electric mobility
service can be found at optimusride.com. For more information on
Polaris and its line of GEM electric vehicles, please visit
Polaris.com/GEM. Media assets are available here.
About Optimus Ride
Optimus Ride is an autonomous, electric mobility service
provider on a mission to drive the future of transportation. The
company develops self-driving vehicle algorithms, software,
hardware, and system integration for electric mobility on demand
solutions. Optimus Ride’s autonomous, electric vehicle solutions
are ideal for master planned communities, corporate and academic
campuses, and mixed use developments. With roots at MIT, Optimus
Ride’s team of outstanding industry experts helps the company’s
customers design networks and systems specifically for autonomous,
electric vehicles, ensuring end-users reap all of the benefits this
technology has to offer. To learn more about how Optimus Ride is
bringing the promise and benefits of autonomous, electric vehicles
to the real world, visit www.optimusride.com.
About Polaris
As the global leader in Powersports, Polaris Inc. (NYSE: PII)
pioneers product breakthroughs and enriching experiences and
services that have invited people to discover the joy of being
outdoors since our founding in 1954. With annual 2020 sales of $7.0
billion, Polaris’ high-quality product line-up includes the Polaris
RANGER, RZR and Polaris GENERAL side-by-side off-road vehicles;
Sportsman all-terrain off-road vehicles; Indian Motorcycle mid-size
and heavyweight motorcycles; Slingshot moto-roadsters; snowmobiles;
and deck, cruiser and pontoon boats, including industry-leading
Bennington pontoons. Polaris enhances the riding experience with
parts, garments, and accessories, along with a growing aftermarket
portfolio, including Transamerican Auto Parts. Polaris’ presence in
adjacent markets includes military and commercial off-road
vehicles, quadricycles, and electric vehicles. Proudly
headquartered in Minnesota, Polaris serves more than 100 countries
across the globe. www.polaris.com
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
that are based on our current expectations and assumptions. These
forward-looking statements, including the statements related to
delivery timing, product performance expectations, and strategy
expectations, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual results to differ materially from the potential
results discussed in the forward-looking statements. In particular,
our predictions about delivery timing, product performance, and
strategy could be affected by a variety of factors, including: the
severity and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting
impact on the Company’s business, supply chain, and the global
economy; the Company’s ability to successfully source necessary
parts and materials and the ability of the Company to manufacture
and deliver products to dealers on time and to meet demand; delays
in product development, testing, and validation; economic
conditions that impact consumer spending; disruptions in
manufacturing facilities; environmental and product safety
regulatory activity affecting utility vehicles; effects of weather;
commodity costs; and freight and tariff costs. The Company does not
undertake any duty to any person to provide updates to its
forward-looking statements. We advise you to also review our risk
factors included in our Form 10-K and to consult any further
disclosures made on related subjects in future quarterly reports on
Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K that are filed with or
furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Optimus Ride® and Opti RideTM are registered trademarks of
Optimus Ride Inc.
Unless noted, trademarks are the property of Polaris Industries
Inc
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210330005107/en/
Optimus Ride Media Contact: Meredith Chiricosta BIGfish
Communications for Optimus Ride 617-713-3800
optimusride@bigfishpr.com
Polaris Media Contact: Katie Paulson 651-295-2800
katie@kp-publicrelations.com
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