The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Ohmio, a New Zealand-based autonomous mobility company, will host a three-vehicle platooning demonstration at John F. Kennedy International Airport in June.
Autonomous vehicles could be useful to airports for transporting passengers for short connections such as a nearby commuter rail station, an airport rental car facility, or from an AirTrain station to the long-term parking lots.
The demonstration will focus on eight-passenger driverless shuttles in a three-vehicle platoon traveling on a closed road in the JFK Long Term Parking Lot, where they will travel closely without any physical connection.
“The Port Authority seeks to be a leader in the region in testing and considering the use of autonomous technology in public transit,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “In addition to the completion of our autonomous bus pilot at the Lincoln Tunnel, we look forward to further testing of autonomous vehicle platoons, autonomous streetsweepers and applying the technology to potential last-mile solutions in 2023 to advance how we as an agency can keep the region moving.”
The agency will investigate longer-term uses.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey maintains three major airports: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty.