Perrone Robotics, Inc., a leading provider of fully autonomous vehicle technology and turnkey vehicle solutions for the mobility of people and things™, announced that Roush Industries has completed the first phase of a successful TONY® – AV, fully autonomous, zero-emissions, electric shuttle integration. The new prototype will be the model for a large-volume production process that will allow Perrone’s TONY AV-Retrofit kit to be easily integrated into existing vehicle models at scale. This marks a significant milestone in the automotive industry and showcases the robust capabilities of Perrone’s TONY AV platform (see below) to convert any vehicle – shuttle, cargo, transit, into a full level of autonomy. The value and benefit of Perrone’s TONY AV platform is that the AV technology integration does not compromise any of the existing features that come off the manufacturer production line – i.e., FMVSS and ADA compliant certifications, zero-emissions, vehicle rider comfort, etc. With that flexibility, the entire AV integration process can be delivered in a reduced time frame – a crucial factor in bringing AV deployment costs down and facilitates larger-scale AV deployments across existing and new fleets. Customers will now be able to accelerate their path toward safe, reliable autonomous vehicle deployments with cost-effective options that leverage existing transit and transportation operations.
Last summer, Roush and Perrone signed an agreement to collaborate on a repeatable, best-in-class AV production process to scale Perrone’s TONY AV – Retrofit kit for new and existing customer fleet deployments. Perrone chose Roush as a partner due to Roush’s exemplary capabilities for rapid, reliable, and repeatable outfitting across a wide range of vehicle types. With close to fifty years in automotive excellence, Roush brings expertise across production design, product development, and quality assurance. In less than six months, the Perrone/Roush teams are underway to provide a substantial AV pipeline for transit, transportation, and cargo applications. Phase II has already commenced, with the companies continuing to collaborate and identify efficiencies as the system integration matures from prototype to production readiness.
The TONY AV Retrofit Kit
TONY (short for “TO Navigate You”) is a vehicle-independent retrofit kit for use in the automated transit of people and goods in geo-fenced and localized operations. TONY embeds inside any vehicle type (or model) for any transit and transportation application providing a complete “artificial driver” solution that brings full autonomy in a safety certifiable framework.
“The success of our relationship with Roush and their capabilities to execute a world-class production integration opens the pathway for the mass production of Perrone’s TONY AV kit into large, medium, and small transit and cargo vehicles,” stated Paul Perrone, founder and CEO, Perrone Robotics, Inc. “Having this capability is especially important for our North American, Asian, and European customers in the transit and transportation sector. This prototype signifies the power of our TONY AV-Retrofit kit’s flexibility to easily integrate into any manufactured vehicle without a complete re-engineering. By mid-2022, the Perrone, Roush production process will come online to advance our AV pipeline for large-scale deployments across commercial, private, and municipal sectors.”
“Roush is honored to support Perrone Robotics’ efforts to enhance vehicle safety by developing innovative autonomous driving technologies. Leveraging Roush’s extensive product development expertise will be key to quickly advancing the vehicle integration process from individual custom build operations to repeatable, best-in-class production.” Steve Wesoloski, Roush Business Development Manager.
