Autonomous car company to create 14-acre facility at Hilltop Mall
Autonomous car company Glydways announced plans on Monday for a temporary development and demonstration facility at Hilltop Mall.
The facility will include a dedicated test track, a 13,000-square-foot maintenance facility, and a visitor showroom. It will allow Glydways to test its autonomous transit network technology while showcasing its operations to the public.
City officials see the development as an important step in revitalizing the Hilltop area.
The new hub will feature a dedicated test track that exceeds a mile. This will allow Glydways to refine its solutions and simulate real-world conditions within a controlled environment.
Glydcars said visitors will experience on-demand travel demonstrations with pod-like vehicles and explore its operations and control center.
John Ramos
The hub will also house a 13,000-square-foot maintenance and storage facility to service the fleet of Glydcars. Glydcars says the facility is strategically positioned near a 28-mile Autonomous Transit Network project developed in partnership with the Contra Costa Transportation Authority and Tri Delta Transit.
Richmond City Manager Shasa Curl said Richmond is excited to welcome Glydways to the City to test their technology within the former Hilltop Mall site.
“Their presence will not only help test new transit solutions but also activate the former Mall site while preparation and finalization of the Hilltop Horizon Specific Plan is underway,” Curl said in a statement.
“The Glydways Development Facility is a transformative project that embodies the City of Richmond’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and economic growth,” said Richmond City Councilmember Cesar Zepeda.
Prologis vice president Janet Galvez said the company is thrilled to provide Glydways with a temporary space they can use to innovate and help make public transportation cleaner and more accessible.
“We will continue to work closely with the City of Richmond and the community on the future redevelopment plans for the defunct mall,” Galvez said.
Neighborhood leaders have met multiple times with Prologis representatives to discuss plans for a new project near the former Sears site.
Fairmede-Hilltop Neighborhood Council President Arto Rinteela said using the property would be temporary.
“They also are planning to exit once Hilltop starts demolition. That’s how the contract was supposed to be written,” Rinteela said. “I think they have a three- or five-year lease, and if Prologis decides they’re going to start demolishing or reconstruction, then Glideways has agreed to leave."
Glydways, founded in 2016, develops closed-road, fully autonomous transit networks designed to provide high-capacity, on-demand transportation in dedicated lanes free of congestion. The system uses dedicated closed-road lanes that allow for a faster and easier certification process compared to Level 5 open-road autonomy, and its vehicles never share the road with human-driven cars, reducing safety risks and delays.
“By building this hub in our own backyard, we’re not only advancing our systems close to home but also demonstrating our commitment to bringing efficient, zero-emission transit solutions to the Bay Area and beyond,” said Gokul Hemmady, CEO of Glydways.
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