Local Motors Awards Autonomous Olli Shuttle To Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall

The fleet challenge entry for Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall was submitted by the Marine Corps on behalf of a project it is co-sponsoring with the Army.

The fleet of shuttles that Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall will be able to use for about three months will arrive in the coming weeks after Local Motors maps the route the shuttle will use. A tentative route calls for the shuttles to make more than a dozen stops throughout the base.

“The entries we received for this challenge in the Greater Washington, D.C. area really blew us away and encompassed a diverse selection of potential user situations,” Jay Rogers, CEO and co-founder of Local Motors, said. “In some aspects, technology is moving faster than the regulations that govern it. And this deployment for Olli will put autonomy within reach of those who are working to regulate it, which we welcome. It is exciting to see innovation in action, and Olli is an example of that.”

Olli’s route will effectively connect Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall from end to end, offering access to a number of valuable stops throughout the base along the way. Plans call for Olli to provide riders access to a chapel, a library, a dining hall and community facility, a convenience store, a health clinic and a child development center, among other destinations.

Lt. Col. Brandon Newell, who leads a military program that aims to discover and integrate new autonomous technology domestically and abroad, said Olli is a window to the future.

“We believe Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall will serve as an exceptional proving ground for Olli, illustrating how the military can engage with innovative, autonomous technology to benefit both our service and civilian populations,” Newell, West Lead for Installation werX, said. “This partnership has the potential to provide tremendous insight into the future of mobility options at the base, and we look forward to the ride.”