Autonomous shuttle startup EasyMile raises €55M for global scaleup

EasyMile, a French startup that builds driverless shuttles for transporting people and goods, has closed a Series B round of €55 million.

The funding is led by Searchlight Capital Partners, the firm that led GetYourGuide’s €114 million funding round in October 2020. McWin and NextStage AM also participated, along with previous EasyMile investors Alstom, Bpifrance and Continental.

EasyMile says it is the world leader in autonomous passenger shuttles, with 60% of the global market share and more than 180 vehicles deployed worldwide. In February 2020 the company began a pilot at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport for a driverless shuttle service between the property’s south parking lot and the terminal.

EasyMile also provides driverless solutions for material handling. The company says it will use the funding to complete its technology and product development and to accelerate its international expansion.

“This injection of capital validates EasyMile’s strategy and will allow us to finalize our technical development and finance our scaleup strategy. We’ll bring the technology up to a level that can be industrialized and deliver a real commercial service,” says Benoit Perrin, EasyMile’s general manager.

Founded in 2014, EasyMile says its technology has driven autonomously in more than 300 locations in 30 countries, covering more than 800,000 kilometers.