Ohmio have deployed the first three Ohmio LIFT autonomous shuttles operating in autonomous platooning mode for its innovation partners” at PANYNJ/JFK New York Airport. The three vehicles were operating at a maximum speed of 23 mph (approximately 37 kph) and at a separation of 6-7 feet (approximately 2m).

An Ohmio statement said that the company are “excited to collaborate with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey at JFK Airport. Our demonstration is the embodiment of our shared commitment to innovation and the pursuit of cutting-edge, passenger-centric solutions. Together, we are shaping the future of autonomous transit, providing a safer, more efficient transportation experience for all…we even piqued the curiosity of the local wildlife.”

“We got three vehicles driving very quickly, at a very close proximity or a very close distance apart,” said Dean Zabrieszach, CEO of Ohmio. “As I’ve said, that’s something that’s just not been done with this type of technology. This is an absolutely driverless vehicle.

“They’re designed to fill that niche which we call the first mile, last mile in the transportation chain,” Zabrieszach, told NY1.

This technology can be used to move people around places like theme parks, retirement communities or large airport parking lots.

“If we can have shuttles like these autonomous vehicles taking you from your vehicle closer to an AirTrain station, then you don’t have to wait, you don’t have to walk and you don’t have to carry your bags quite as far,” said Seth Wainer, program director of innovation at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. 

The chairman of Ohmio, Mohammed Hikmet, wants New York to be the proving ground for his company’s technology.

“Here in New York, you need to do everything right… it meets the demand of really high passenger capacity movement.”