Skip to main content

Ohmio to produce self-driving vehicles in New Zealand

Ohmio Automotion has launched in New Zealand to begin production of self-driving vehicles in the country, using technology developed by Australian parent company HMI Technologies. The electric Ohmio Hop shuttles are self-driving, fully electric autonomous vehicles which Ohmio says can form a connected convoy, enabling them to be used as a scalable public transport solution. They have been designed to be a last mile solution, carrying people and their luggage short distances, providing the last mile conn
September 12, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Ohmio Automotion has launched in New Zealand to begin production of self-driving vehicles in the country, using technology developed by Australian parent company 8502 HMI Technologies.


The electric Ohmio Hop shuttles are self-driving, fully electric autonomous vehicles which Ohmio says can form a connected convoy, enabling them to be used as a scalable public transport solution. They have been designed to be a last mile solution, carrying people and their luggage short distances, providing the last mile connection to or from transport hubs or mass transit options

The Ohmio vehicles use self-mapping artificial intelligence, enabling them to self-drive a route without external input once they have completed it under supervision.

A range of four Ohmio models is planned for production in the next 12 months, ranging in size from small to large shuttles and freight pods, which can be customised to customer requirements.

Technology company HMI has three autonomous vehicle trials already under way in New Zealand at Christchurch International Airport and in Australia at Sydney Olympic Park and Melbourne’s La Trobe University, which the company says have generated public interest in the new technology.

Related Content

  • June 25, 2018
    US Cities push for smarter poles
    US Cities The need to connect existing infrastructure has led various US transit authorities into imaginative alleyways: David Crawford examines some new roles for street furniture. US cities are vying with each other in developing schemes to create a new generation of connected places. Their strategies include taking advantage of their streetlight poles’ height and ubiquity to give them new roles in supporting intelligent nodes. They are now being equipped for collecting real-time data on key transport
  • April 13, 2012
    First Elites for New Zealand
    Elite pay and display parking machines manufactured by Metric Group in the UK have been shipped for the first time to New Zealand. The Aura Elites were ordered by Metric Parking’s distributor Automated Solutions who have implemented a marketing strategy for New Zealand. Metric has also received an order from its Australian distributor TMA for a total of 26 machines, 11 of which are for a hospital. The remainder have been ordered by TMA for stock. The New Zealand and Australia orders follow another export
  • May 5, 2016
    AV/ridesharing mix wins major auto investment
    The US has a new trend in personal mobility and David Crawford takes a closer look. US automaker General Motors and ridesharer Lyft’s announcement of a strategic partnership aimed at delivering, over time, an integrated network of on-demand autonomous as well as conventional vehicles has taken the nation’s car industry from traditional manufacturing to new arenas.
  • January 26, 2012
    Charging trial tests smartphones for road user charging
    A new project is under way in Minnesota, investigating whether smartphones are technically and publicly acceptable for use in road user charging. Jason Barnes reports. In Minnesota, trials have been launched to determine whether smartphones are technologically viable and acceptable to the public for distance based road user charging (RUC). The Midwestern US state has engaged with Battelle to explore RUC technology options in a project which falls under the auspices of the US Federal Connected Vehicle progra