A mixed-use development in Reston, Va., is becoming home to one of the region's first self-driving vehicle programs.
MIT spinoff Optimus Ride is deploying an autonomous vehicle service throughout the Halley Rise development in June.
The program, in partnership with Brookfield Properties, will start modestly with three golf cart-sized cars on a fixed loop to transport people within the development. Tenants will be able to use Optimus Ride’s reservation system and on-demand ride services.
Human safety drivers will be in the vehicle during the program, though the company says its tech can handle all driving duties on its own. The vehicles are geofenced to the property and won't exceed 30 mph.
“We will deploy our self-driving system at Brookfield’s Halley Rise location this summer to provide users with autonomous mobility access between office buildings as we continue to scale our business," Optimus Ride CEO Ryan Chin said in a statement. "In the future, we will advance our partnership by deploying our self-driving systems at additional Brookfield sites around the world.”
Halley Rise is a new $1.4 billion development transforming a 36-acre office park in Reston into 3.5 million square feet of housing, retail, modern offices and public green spaces. Nearby, the Silver Line Metro station is slated to open in 2020.
Brookfield is one of the most prominent commercial property owners in the greater D.C. metro area, with 40 properties totaling 9.8 million square feet. Worldwide, the company says it has $330 billion in assets under management.
Optimus Ride has previously deployed AV services near Boston, in an urban development called Union Point.
