The US-based open-source vehicle design manufacturer LM Industries and the in-wheel electric drive developer Protean Electric will be partnering for the development of self-driving plug-in electric vehicles, the two have jointly revealed.
The name LM Industries should sound familiar to some of those reading this, as we’ve reported numerous times now on the firm’s self-driving shuttle prototype “Olli.”
As part of the new partnership, the two firms will first collaborate on an electric drive system to be used inside the Olli design, before then moving on to the development of new tech to be used by future transportation-as-a-service (TaaS) firms/programs (that’s the idea anyways).
The CEO and co-founder of LM Industries, John B. Rogers Jr., commented on the news: “Open platforms are a critical piece of LM Industries’ strategic vision, allowing us the flexibility to work with innovative companies like Protean Electric and quickly integrate new technologies that let us make great products. Protean Electric’s eDrive technology with in-wheel motors and integrated power electronics, make power-train components obsolete and vehicle digitization easier. It will help us revolutionize self-driving vehicle design creating more space for passengers.”
With all of that in mind, it’ll be interesting to see if the approach to self-driving vehicles being pursued here will end up doing better over the long term than the approach being pursued by others.
Those looking for further information on Protean’s in-wheel electric drivetrain tech, I direct you to this article: Protean Electric & Zhejiang VIE Science & Technology Partnering For 16″ Version Of ProteanDRIVE In-Wheel Motor.
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