Autonomic, a transportation architecture and technology provider, announced a partnership with Ayro, Inc., a manufacturer of electric light-duty vehicles for commercial and consumer markets.
Together the companies will develop a range of services to enable mobility applications for Ayro’s line of vehicles.
Autonomic, a subsidiary of Ford Smart Mobility, runs the Transportation Mobility Cloud (TMC), a platform that allows a range of transportation services – personal vehicles, ride-share services, bike-sharing networks, commercial delivery services and more – to share information and streamline services.
“Our focus is making connectivity vehicle integration into broader transportation ecosystem really, really easy,” Gavin Sherry, co-founder and CEO of Autonomic, told FreightWaves.
Autonomic’s partnership with Ayro allows it to expand into the fast-growing electric vehicle market. Formerly known as AEV Technologies, Ayro rebranded in May 2019 with a goal of commercializing energy-efficient solutions.
The automaker produces a fleet of compact vehicles, including the soon-to-be launched AYRO 311x, that have a range of up to 85 miles and can recharge with either a 240V outlet within three and one-half hours or a standard 110V (20A) outlet within six to eight hours.
The collaboration with Autonomic, announced on August 21, will feature new applications and services, including data and telematic exchanges; geo-location tools; and services to monitor use rates, deployment efficiency, fleet and vehicle performance and advanced maintenance for fleet operators.
One of the most interesting use cases, Sherry said, is the ability to control speed remotely. Ayro operates vehicles on resort properties and campuses, he said, where speed requirements vary depending on the context. Paved roads have higher speed limits, while mixed use pathways with pedestrians require a slower speed and off-road spaces require even slower travel speeds.
Using the TMC, “Ayro will be able to accomplish that,” said Sherry. “They will be able to modify dynamically the maximum speed of those vehicles.”
Over two million electric vehicles were sold last year and there are expected to be 25 million sold in 2025. This growth has been driven by the demand for efficient and sustainable transportation solutions and the need for alternative mobility modes to combat congestion.
Yet adoption of electric vehicles beyond passenger vehicles for businesses and fleet operators remains dependent not just on the cost-effectiveness, but also the ability to integrate seamlessly with fleet telematics software.
The Autonomic partnership will enable customers to operate more efficiently, said Rod Keller, Ayro, Inc. CEO, in a statement.
“We’re excited to partner with the Autonomic team to develop custom apps and services that will maximize our fleet owners’ management abilities along with a unique user experience,” Keller said. “Autonomic’s experience with cloud-based transportation applications is a tremendous asset for Ayro as we develop the finest user experiences for our customers.”