Toyota Motors led Michigan-based startup, May Mobility‘s US$ 50 million Series B round.
May Mobility operates low speed autonomous shuttle services in three U.S cities: Detroit & Great Rapids, Michigan and Providence, Rhode Island.
Last year May Mobility raised US$ 22 million, which it channeled towards expanding its fleet, engineering and operational staff.
Alisyn Malek, the startup’s co-founder and COO, told TechCrunch that the company is aiming towards increasing the number of buses on the road to 25 in each city.
Toyota has picked May Mobility, which officially launched in 2017, as one of its “autonomous driving providers for future open platforms,” according to the startup.
Related article: Postal Robots Take to The Streets With Backing From Toyota AI Ventures
The two companies did not disclose details of the partnerships however, it is likely that they would pair May Mobility’s autonomous vehicle technology with the Toyota’s e-Palette.
The e-Palette is a concept vehicle is designed for flexibility. Theoretically, it will be outfitted with autonomous vehicle technology, could be used as a shuttle, for delivering packages to customers or even as a roving mobile shop.
The COO added that May Mobility will partner Toyota to identify market opportunities.
