Press Releases - Department of Transportation

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Elrich, MCDOT and County Staff Tour Robotic Research Facility in Clarksburg

Autonomous vehicles in Montgomery County? While it’s not a development anticipated for several years, County Executive Marc Elrich joined MCDOT Deputy Director Emil Wolanin, Montgomery County Police Department Captain Tom Didone and other state and county officials on May 24 for an introduction to Olli, the world’s first co-created, electric, autonomous shuttle developed by Robotic Research through a partnership with Phoenix-based Local Motors. Robotic Research provides the autonomy software and hardware to power the slow-speed shuttle, which is being introduced at National Harbor as well as in several communities worldwide.

The demonstration presented on private roadways at the Robotic Research facility in Clarksburg showcased the autonomy capabilities of the shuttle to navigate roadways and turns, and react to pedestrian traffic and roadway obstacles. Olli can carry up to eight passengers at a time in a climate-controlled cabin. The vehicle, integrated with IBM’s Watson, has a range of 33 miles and a maximum speed of 25 mph. The firm is currently seeking an automated vehicle permit from the Maryland Department of Transportation to enable its vehicles to use a low volume public roadway for testing.

Elrich and MCDOT envision potential future applications of similar self-driving shuttles to solve first-mile, last-mile challenges in the County’s transit system, as the small shuttles lend themselves to neighborhood microtransit service similar to the County’s upcoming Ride On Flex pilot program.

The technology behind driverless vehicles continues to progress at a rapid rate. State and local governments are cooperating with the auto industry to conduct testing in controlled settings, with the ultimate goal of ensuring road user safety before full scale deployment occurs on public roadways.

“Montgomery County belongs on the forefront of environmentally-friendly technological innovation in transit,” said Elrich. “When autonomous vehicles meet important public safety, operational and economic viability thresholds, we want to be ready to act.”

MCDOT officials have been tracking autonomous and connected vehicle technology developments for about the last decade. “More than ever, an accessible and efficient multimodal public transit system demands diverse and innovative technologies,” said MCDOT Director Al Roshdieh. “MCDOT will continue to diversify our fleet to better meet the needs of our residents.”

“Autonomy is the next important technology advancement in transportation, offering a range of benefits to communities, including enhancing driver and operator roles in ways that ensure greater public safety,” said Alberto Lacaze, President of Robotic Research. “We are excited to be a part of the innovation in this area that is coming to Maryland and look forward to a future of greater public safety.”

Release ID: 19-080
Media Contact: Maureen McNulty 240-777-7199