Company will base its operations at the community college’s new Automotive Technology and Innovation Center| Shouldn’t Yavapai invest the $10 million on such a center on a smaller scale on the Verde Campus rather than a brewery? If you missed it, the future is here.
Editor Robert Oliphant
OPINION. Pony.ai announced on Oct. 12, 2022, a partnership with Pima Community College to test drive its autonomous electrical vehicles in Tucson on Oct. 12, 2022. A global autonomous driving technology company, Pony.ai, will open its first Arizona location in Tucson to test its electric vehicles. The company will base its operations at the Pima Community College’s new Automotive Technology and Innovation Center on its downtown campus.
The company said that it chose Tucson because it already had a strong relationship with the City of Tucson and Pima Community College’s new Automotive and Technology and Innovation Center.
In a press release, Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson said that with Pony.ai’s vision, under-resourced populations will have access to more reliable transportation for persons with disabilities. According to a 2017 report published by the Ruderman Family Foundation, self-driving cars offer potential for reducing transportation obstacles for people with disabilities. The report points to government transportation survey data from 2003 that found six million people with disabilities have difficulties getting the transportation they need.
Wouldn’t it be much wiser for Yavapai Community College to invest the $10 million it’s decided to spend on the Verde Campus in developing an electric automotive and technology center rather that a brewery? I think so. After all, in case you missed it, the future is here.