Dive Brief:
Local Motors and Florida-based autonomous vehicle (AV) startup Beep announced today a strategic partnership and new reseller agreement that will enable the companies to more broadly deploy autonomous shuttles to the public.

Local Motors, which dubs itself the world’s “first and only digital vehicle manufacturer,” will provide Beep with its autonomous, electric, 3D-printed Olli 2.0 shuttles for future deployments. Beep in turn will offer expertise gained through AV interactions and testing with mixed traffic, pedestrians and other traffic hurdles to help Local Motors “advance their platforms and capabilities,” Beep CEO Joe Moye told Smart Cities Dive in an interview.

The partnership is driven in part by the companies’ involvement in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)’s AV TEST Initiative, launched in June. Beep and LM’s agreement aims to further bolster voluntary data sharing across the AV industry.
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