Karma Automotive has entered into a strategic partnership with Line Mobility to provide engineering, manufacturing and design services for an autonomous transit system that transports passengers on elevated guideways above city streets.
The collaboration aims to support the development of Line Mobility’s on-demand transit platform, which uses dedicated overhead guideways instead of conventional roads shared with other traffic.
Partnership Combines Engineering and Transit Technology
Under the agreement, Karma Automotive will contribute expertise in battery systems, electric motors, vehicle engineering, manufacturing and product design.
The company will also assist with passenger experience development as Line Mobility advances its zero-emission transportation platform.
The partners said the collaboration is intended to help accelerate deployment of autonomous transit systems for cities, airports and university campuses.
Elevated Guideway Designed for Autonomous Operation
Line Mobility’s transit system operates on a patented prefabricated guideway installed above street level, allowing autonomous vehicles to travel directly between destinations without interacting with conventional traffic.
The company said the dedicated infrastructure is designed to simplify autonomous vehicle operation while reducing congestion and lowering infrastructure costs compared with traditional rail or underground transit systems.
According to Line Mobility, the overhead design enables faster deployment while avoiding many of the operational challenges associated with autonomous vehicles operating on public roads.
Karma Expands Technology Partnerships
The agreement marks Karma Automotive’s second major technology collaboration as the company expands beyond luxury vehicle manufacturing into broader mobility applications.
Earlier, Karma announced a partnership with Factorial Energy to develop solid-state and semi-solid-state battery technologies for future electric vehicles.
The company said its experience with extended-range electric vehicles, battery-electric technologies and vehicle manufacturing will support development of Line Mobility’s autonomous transit platform.
Executives Outline Long-Term Vision
Karma Automotive President and Chief Executive Officer Marques McCammon said the partnership reflects the company’s strategy of applying its engineering capabilities to new mobility solutions.
“At Karma Automotive we believe our role is to be a light to the future of the mobility ecosystem.”
He added:
“We seek to use our elevated product and market position to not only celebrate the success of our core clients, but also to pilot the technologies that will elevate society as a whole. We’re proud to bring Karma Automotive’s capabilities to this partnership with Line Mobility, which has the potential to safely and robustly transform how people and goods of every market segment move across our cities and beyond.”
Line Mobility Chief Executive Officer Heri Diarte said the collaboration supports the company’s efforts to commercialize a new form of public transportation.
“Line Mobility is building a new category of public transportation: automated, electric, space-efficient, and designed to be deployed far faster and at dramatically lower cost than conventional systems.”
He added:
“Partnering with Karma Automotive gives us access to world-class capabilities as we move from breakthrough system architecture to deployable mobility infrastructure.”
Line Mobility currently operates a test track in Southern California, where its engineering team is working alongside Karma Automotive to advance development of the elevated autonomous transit system.
