Newark Tests Autonomous Shuttles

🔑 Enhanced Key Takeaways

• •Port Authority partners with three companies—Oceaneering (March 2026), Ohmio (late March 2026), and Glydways (May 2026)—for separate two-week trials of zero-emissions electric shuttles in non-public airport areas.[1][2][4]
• •Tests simulate high-capacity shuttle networks with multiple vehicles operating simultaneously in complex airport environments, all with safety drivers onboard at controlled speeds.[1][4]
• •Port Authority considering formal request for proposals in 2027 if trials succeed, to integrate shuttles with the $3.5 billion AirTrain opening in 2030.[1][2][4]

🛠️ Technical Deep Dive

• •Vehicles are zero-emissions electric shuttles designed for Level 4 autonomy, operating in controlled, non-public areas.[1][2][3]
• •Prior 2023 test used 14-passenger Green Power AV-Star shuttle retrofitted with Perrone Robotics tech, including sensors, cameras, and mapping for obstacle simulation in closed lots.[4]
• •2023 STV pilot was three-phase: Phase 1 vehicle testing without passengers, Phase 2 operations without passengers, Phase 3 with passengers, over one month between AirTrain Parking Area 2 and Terminal A.[3]

🔮 Future ImplicationsAI analysis grounded in cited sources

⏳ Timeline