Alliance for Transportation Innovation Announces 2017 Autonomous Vehicle Cross-Country Road Tour

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Flanked by leaders in transportation policy and technology, officials with The Alliance for Transportation Innovation (ATI21.org) today announced plans for a coast-to-coast autonomous vehicle road trip, beginning later this month in Atlanta, GA. 

The "AV Road Trip," announced at a news conference held in conjunction with the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, will bring self-driving technology directly to the public in cities across America. "There is no doubt that when it comes to self-driving vehicles, seeing is believing," said Paul Brubaker, President and CEO of ATI21.org. Watch the event on Twitter @ATI21org.

The Washington, D.C.-based association advocates on behalf of  the transportation technology industry to accelerate the adoption of innovative technologies that will reduce traffic deaths, improve the flow of urban commutes, safely deliver goods to market, eliminate human error and improve mobility for the underserved, disabled and elderly.  

The first stop on the tour is Atlanta, GA on January 26th, followed closely by appearances in New Orleans, LA on January 30th; Arlington, TX, on February 2nd; Los Angeles, CA on February 6th; and San Jose, CA on February 9th. EasyMile's EZ10 driverless shuttle will be featured at every stop, allowing community leaders, invited members of the public and the news media to experience the future of transportation. Additional tour stops will be added throughout the year.

At today's announcement, Mary E. Peters, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, lauded ATI's efforts on behalf of autonomous technology and decried regulators for not keeping up with the pace of innovation. 

"Vehicles that drive themselves, and systems that make them safe, are being conceived, invented, tested and refined at speeds that would make our heads spin," said Peters. "Yet the rules that govern the tech intended to make our lives better, our drive safer and our trips quicker, are stuck in time," Peters added. 

"We are working to make sure innovation and its potential to make life easier and our streets safer is not frustrated by red tape and regulation," said Brubaker.

ATI's Chairman, former U.S. Rep. Robert "Bob" Walker, also attended the news conference. "I've been helping craft technology policy for most of my life, but I've never seen this amount of excitement. We are witnessing the dawn of a complete transformation of transportation in America," said Walker, a member of the Trump Administration transition team.

"The autonomous vehicle industry is not just a cool technology or a novelty that will be gone tomorrow," said Dick Alexander, Executive Vice President for Transdev North America, the AV Road Trip's premier sponsor. "Autonomous vehicles are starting to show their worth as a means to lower operating costs, improve customer safety and increase mobility to areas poorly served by traditional mass transit. AV technology will revolutionize how we move people and is here to stay," Alexander said.

"Our EZ10 vehicle will change the way people move around their communities, allowing more people to enjoy life simplified by the fact that they can now get where they are going, safer, quicker and easier than ever before," said Xavier Salort, Senior Sales Manager for Easy Mile.

Splunk, Inc., provider of the leading software platform for real-time Operational Intelligence,  and  HDR,  a  global  engineering,  architectural and  construction services firm, also are sponsors and demo participants of the 2017 tour.

For the latest information about upcoming tour stops and reports from the road, visit www.AVRoadTrip.org or follow along @ATI21org on Twitter.

The Alliance for Transportation Innovation (ATI21) is a consortium of transportation technology innovators, subject matter experts, and researchers committed to accelerating the adoption of innovative technologies that will transform the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. For more information visit the ATI21 website at www.ati21.org.

Transdev, based near Chicago, is the largest private-sector operator of multiple modes of transit in North America, including bus, rail, streetcar, paratransit, shuttle, and sedan and taxi services. Globally, Transdev operates public transportation in 19 countries. Transdev is committed to being the trusted partner of cities, transit authorities and airports through quality execution and innovations in mobility. For more information, go to www.transdevna.com.

EasyMile develops, markets, deploys and ensures the maintenance of its autonomous road transport solution based on its EZ10 driverless vehicle. The EZ10 is a driverless electric vehicle that can carry up to 12 people (6 seats and 6 standing positions). It also is accessible to people with disabilities thanks to its access ramp. The EZ10 moves autonomously, combining a fusion of different localization and detection technologies and is designed to cover short and predefined routes and requires no infrastructure. www.EasyMile.com.

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SOURCE The Alliance for Transportation Innovation