Local Motors, the startup that makes autonomous vehicles Olli, will cease operations, according to an employee posting on LinkedIn. Local Motors itself has not confirmed with an official announcement for this news. Local Motors’ initial assumption that it stopped operating was due to a lack of capital.
Chris Stoner, an employee of Local Motors, in his post said it was sad that Local Motors would stop operating on January 14.
Local Motors developed the Olli, an autonomous electric shuttle minibus which is partly made from a 3D printer. The first generation Olli was introduced in 2016. Another prototype is also on the way in the name of Deutsche Bahn at the Euref campus in Berlin.
Local Motors then entered the United States market. The second generation Olli called Olli 2.0 was introduced in September 2019. Olli 2.0 is said to have a range of up to 160 km. Olli 2.0 switched from e-axle drives to wheel hub motors from Protean Electric.
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In June 2021, Local Motors partnered with Protean Electric to supply the initial production Olli 2.0. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected this vehicle order. On the other hand, the Olli2.0 test was also disrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In December, there was an accident with the Olli 1.0 in Toronto which resulted in the officer being seriously injured.