AV services provider Motional has announced the expansion of its West Coast operations in the USA following an 18-month period of high growth in which the company extended operations in Asia to Seoul, and nearly doubled its employee headcount.
The move comes as Motional looks toward a mass commercialization of its business, and follows an agreement made with ride-hailing company Lyft to launch a multimarket fully driverless service scheduled to begin in 2023.
Having been in Los Angeles for the past five years, the AV provider has moved to a larger Santa Monica facility, has hired new team members, and is planning road tests in the Los Angeles area.
Through the expansion of R&D operations and company facilities in Los Angeles, Motional will begin public road mapping and testing this August using its next-generation robotaxi. This will be the first time Motional has tested in the Los Angeles area, and will run alongside similar and ongoing test programs that are being conducted in Boston, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, and Singapore.
“Los Angeles has long been an important part of Motional’s global operations that span across the USA and Asia, and today we’re happy to announce that we’re doubling down on our West Coast footprint,” explained Karl Iagnemma, president, and CEO, Motional.
“This expansion is the latest in our growth trajectory and will position Motional with the talent, testing capabilities and R&D resources we need to deliver on our commercialization roadmap.”
Alongside the Southern California hub, Motional has also opened its first office in the Bay Area to house a division of its Compute Design team, including a Compute Lab.
“The opening of our Bay Area office reaffirms Motional’s commitment to attracting the most innovative talent in the driverless industry,” commented Sammy Omari, vice president of autonomy in engineering, Motional. “With our significant presence on the East and West Coasts, now including Silicon Valley, we’re able to reach a large segment of the incredible talent pool. We’re excited to offer these opportunities to new team members and look forward to welcoming those who are at the forefront of autonomy technology.”