Self-driving shuttle company May Mobility is planning to grow its Ann Arbor headquarters with 300 new jobs and an $18 million investment for research and development and new autonomous fleet vehicles.
Crain’s Detroit Business
Kurt Nagl
April 25, 2023
Self-driving shuttle company May Mobility is planning to grow its Ann Arbor headquarters with 300 new jobs and an $18 million investment for research and development and new autonomous fleet vehicles.
The company, launched in 2017, will add to its base of 197 employees in Michigan with new hires focused on engineering, according to a project briefing memo from the Michigan Economic Development Corp.
The jobs will pay an average wage of $67.31 per hour plus benefits.
The expansion is being supported by a $3 million performance-based business development grant, and Ann Arbor Spark has also agreed to provide staff and financial assistance.
The $18 million investment will go toward the purchase and assembly of May Mobility vehicles, IT equipment and leases, including for its headquarters at 650 Avis Drive as well as additional warehouse and testing space at 1050 Highland Drive, according to spokesperson Brittany Lockard.
The incentives are being offered to compete against an alternative location being considered in Tokyo, where May Mobility’s lead backer Toyota is based, according to the MEDC. Boston, Silicon Valley and Pittsburgh also were being considered.
“This project aligns with Michigan’s strategic focus areas of attracting, retaining, and supporting businesses and fostering equitable, high-wage skills growth,” the memo said.
May Mobility also announced Tuesday the launch of its first on-demand public transit service using AVs in Sun City, a retirement community in Arizona.
May Mobility also operates an on-demand shuttle service in Ann Arbor; Grand Rapids, Minn.; and Arlington, Texas. Last summer, it brought its Series C investment funding up to $111 million, bringing the startup’s total fundraising to around $200 million over the last six years.
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