$10M Investment in Virginia Firm to Expand American Center for Mobility

A $10 million investment by a Florida group in a Virginia robotics company will lead to an expansion of the American Center for Mobility (ACM) in Ypsilanti Township.
1279
Perrone Robotics van
Zero-emission fully autonomous public transit van using Perrone Robotics technology. // Photo courtesy of Perrone Robotics

A $10 million investment by a Florida group in a Virginia robotics company will lead to an expansion of the American Center for Mobility (ACM) in Ypsilanti Township.

CapStone Holdings, a business incubator and investment group in Bonita Springs, Fla., has invested $10 million in Virginia autonomous vehicle systems provider Perrone Robotics Inc., which will utilize a portion of the investment to establish an advanced autonomous vehicle testing facility at the ACM.

The Ypsilanti Township facility is a collaborative effort of government, industry, and academic organizations focused on accelerating the mobility industry through testing, research, standards development, and educational programming.

The new Perrone test facility will be designed to enable advanced, high-speed, and continuous testing of autonomous transit vans, shuttles, and other vehicles equipped with Perrone’s technology.

“Perrone Robotics is a significant addition to our technology campus and smart mobility test center,” says Reuben Sarkar, president and CEO of ACM. “The company is uniquely positioned to accelerate next-generation transportation technology and instant applications for autonomous vehicles. As more high-tech companies like Perrone Robotics continue to be drawn to ACM to expand research and to test their applications, the mobility ecosystem and the value to the region becomes richer as a result.”

Trevor Pawl, senior vice president and chief mobility officer of the state’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME), says, “CapStone Holdings is an investment leader for next-generation technologies. Their investment in Perrone Robotics — combined with a focus on Michigan — will continue to position ACM, the state of Michigan, and the country at the forefront of new mobility technology and industry sector growth.”

Perrone delivers mobility solutions through what it says is the “first and only patented general purpose robotics operating system and autonomous vehicle retrofit kit” named TONY (TO Navigate You).

According to Perrone, TONY embeds inside any vehicle for any job, to provide a complete “artificial driver” solution that brings full autonomy in a safety certifiable framework for the right vehicle platform. Perrone’s solution helps commercial, municipal, and governmental customers increase transportation efficiencies, enhance safety, and accelerate zero-emission electric vehicle deployment.

Perrone Robotics developed one of the earliest driverless vehicles in the space using its patented full-stack software platform called MAX.

Perrone Robotics recently announced the deployment of an all-electric, fully autonomous, paratransit vehicle to the Jacksonville Transit Authority capable of speeds of up to 65 mph. The company also announced a partnership with an international fleet orchestration platform provider that automates dispatching, routing, and ride-matching for autonomous fleets.