Local NiFT Shuttle Earns 2nd at Autorama

Belleville’s celebrated inventor family, the Elwarts, took the popular Detroit Autorama by storm
last month, where they showed up with their NiFT Autonomous Shuttle and captured 2nd Place in the prestigious Experimental division. The NiFT shuttle was designed and built right here in Belleville and now available (together with a basic devkit) for purchase by organizations and gear- heads looking to get their hands dirty with a basic autonomous vehicle. Whereas typical self-driving test systems cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, the NiFT costs just $19,900. Chief Inventor Shane Elwart’s goal is nothing short of revolutionizing access to autonomous vehicle development across the country.

Also in attendance at Autorama, Councilman Steve Jones said the NiFT shuttle “is something our community can be proud of and build around to create more opportunities for our city and especially for our kids.”

The NiFT team was thrilled when custom vehicle fabricator extraordinaire David Ankin of ToyMakerz on HISTORY Channel stopped by to check out the shuttle and chat about its features. Ankin and his racecar builder Jason Hensley were impressed that the Elwart Family, including engineers Austin & Brandon, was able to complete the build in under 100 days.

Also in Mobility, Belleville has taken another big step in its recreational evolution by opening the majority of its streets to golf carts operated by licensed drivers, meanwhile the Belleville High School Robotics Team hosted the FIRST Robotics District Qualifier, with the Elwart Brothers keynoting the Opening Ceremonies. And thus, the long-running tradition of automotive invention and techsperimentation continues in the 48111.