US autonomous vehicle company formed multi-year partnership with Southeast Asian superapp to launch AV services in region
May Mobility has formed a multi-year partnership with Grab Holdings to launch autonomous vehicle (AV) services in Southeast Asia. The partnership includes an investment by Grab into the US autonomous vehicle technology company as it expands beyond the United States and Japan.
Grab and May Mobility will integrate the latter’s autonomous driving technology into Grab’s ecosystem, including fleet management, vehicle matching and routing systems. The partnership will combine May Mobility’s operational practices with Grab’s local expertise to implement AVs in Southeast Asia, tailored to local infrastructure needs. Grab will work with May Mobility to identify training, upskilling and transition opportunities for Grab driver-partners interested in AV-related roles.
May Mobility plans to use Grab’s proprietary mapping technology, GrabMaps, to study Southeast Asian road infrastructure. The mapping collaboration aims to speed up deployment of May Mobility’s AVs and drive more efficient operations. GrabMaps was developed through Grab’s operations in densely populated Southeast Asian cities, using high-volume data collection and AI-based processing to deliver maps with hyperlocal accuracy. Real-time feedback to GrabMaps maintains updates on changing conditions such as traffic build-ups and road closures.
May Mobility’s multi-policy decision making driving technology uses AI reasoning models to analyse thousands of potential scenarios every second and select the optimal manoeuvre in any situation. The approach allows vehicles to adapt quickly to unexpected situations without relying exclusively on pre-collected, geographically specific data. The technology can rapidly adjust to new international requirements, including Southeast Asian traffic conditions and left-hand driving, without extensive retraining.
“We believe AVs have an important role to play in the future of mobility in Southeast Asia, complementing our driver network as well as public transport systems,” Dominic Ong, General Manager of Autonomous at Grab, said in a statement. “Grab is intent on taking an active role in facilitating the introduction of AVs with a safety-first approach, and in a way that benefits the wider community. We see our partnership with May Mobility as a powerful synergy of hyperlocal expertise and global capabilities. We are excited to learn from them and work with them to adapt their technology to Southeast Asia’s needs.”
Edwin Olson, Chief Executive and Founder of May Mobility, added: “Grab is not only a mobility and technology leader, but also an innovator in AV adoption across Southeast Asia. Their belief in our technology, along with our shared urgency to bring autonomous vehicles to people around the world, will power May’s next stage of growth.”
The partnership is May Mobility’s third ride-hail collaboration, following its recent launch on the Lyft network in Atlanta and upcoming launch on the Uber platform. Grab and May Mobility are planning their first deployment together and evaluating other areas of technical collaboration. The companies plan to explore May Mobility using Grab’s mapping technology for endeavours beyond Southeast Asia.
SOURCE: May Mobility