This week’s podcast is brought to you by Terawatt – purpose-built charging for autonomous vehicle fleets.

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and Substack. We now have transcripts available too (Click on the "transcripts" button in the top right corner of this post to access them).

In today’s episode, I’m speaking with Edwin Olson, founder and CEO of May Mobility, an autonomous vehicle company that just launched their AV pilot program in Atlanta, in collaboration with Lyft. Ed talks about May Mobility’s business strategy, their vehicle specs and what makes them stand out. We also get into why now is the most exciting time for AVs, and the commercialization challenges faced by AV companies.

Ed weighs in on the camera vs. Lidar debate, the cost and integration of their hardware stack, and how May Mobility approaches scaling and vehicle production. We also dive into their pilot launch with Lyft in Atlanta — from backend integration to the first-time rider experience — why riders have chosen to pay more for AV rides in the past, and the key metrics that define customer experience. He explains the company’s collaboration with Toyota, partnerships with platforms like Lyft and Uber, and the emphasis on scaling both technologically and commercially.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction to Ed Olson

(02:05) Is now the most exciting time for Autonomous Vehicles?

(03:25) The commercialization challenge of AVs

(03:57) Introduction to May Mobility, and what makes them stand out

(05:33) May Mobility’s business strategy

(06:39) May Mobility’s vehicle and specs

(08:20) Vehicle hardware and technology stack

(09:04) Ed’s take on the Camera vs Lidar debate

(10:17) The cost of May Mobility’s hardware stack

(12:09) May Mobility’s vehicle production process, and hardware integration

(14:42) The path to scaling

(16:50) May Mobility’s partnership with Lyft in Atlanta

(18:12) The optimum fleet size for efficient utilization and ride availability

(20:02) Advantages of an AV ride and why passengers choose to pay more

(22:05) How the May Mobility–Lyft partnership user experience will work for passengers

(23:15) What is an ideal ride for May Mobility?

(25:00) The backend of the Lyft partnership

(25:40) The first time experience for AV rideshare

(27:44) The main KPI in AV customer experience

(29:54) What makes May Mobility stand out.

(32:10) The downsides of AV third party partnerships

(33:25) How to solve vehicle availability in high demand

(34:29) How the future of autonomy looks like

(38:29) Conclusion and final thoughts

Designing Charging Hubs for Autonomous Fleets

We are excited to partner with Terawatt, one of the leading providers of charging infrastructure. To learn more about Terawatt's network of AV charging hubs and track record of 99%+ uptime, reach out to Logan Szidik at lszidik@terawattinfrastructure.com

- Harry

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Inside May Mobility’s Atlanta Launch with Lyft (Ed Olson)

The Driverless Digest Podcast

Inside May Mobility’s Atlanta Launch with Lyft (Ed Olson)