The autonomous shuttle company EasyMile has opened a new office in Berlin as part of its ongoing global expansion in what it calls key markets and technology centres.
The Berlin expansion follows last December’s inauguration of an office in the American city of Denver, and marks what the company says is yet another milestone for the global start-up, “highlighting its fast paced growth”.
Located in the InnoZ building (Innovation Centre for Mobility and Societal Change) on EUREF Campus, 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. It will also act as a technical and maintenance centre for customers locally.
Since December 2017, EasyMile has been running one EZ10 driverless shuttle every working day with InnoZ on the EUREF Campus in the heart of Berlin. On the other side of town, EasyMile shuttles are running in a project by Charité, BVG and the State of Berlin on the Charité Hospital Campus since March, offering visitors, patients and employees an autonomous transportation solution.
Elsewhere in Germany, in the Bavarian town of Bad Birnbach, ioki, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, has implemented EZ10 driverless shuttles from the town centre to the thermal baths. The service has been in operation since October 2017, and the EZ10 was the first autonomous passenger vehicle assessed by TÜV SÜD experts for open road usage, paving the way for its operation in German public transport.
Gilbert Gagnaire, Founder and Chief Executive Officer 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.” He added: “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.”
EasyMile currently has 65 shuttles operating in 21 different countries and says its EZ10 is the most deployed autonomous shuttle in the world.
