The Lyon-based start-up Navya presented Tuesday its new vehicle, a driverless taxi with 100% electric propulsion, which aims to fluidify traffic in urban centers, and whose first deliveries are expected in the third quarter of 2018.
"It is a revolution for mobility in city centres, this new model is destined to be the first robot taxi to be marketed in the world", the president of the company was pleased to announce. NavyaChristophe Sapet, during the presentation of this vehicle at the Cité du Cinéma in Saint-Denis.
Through this launch, the Lyon-based company hopes to facilitate traffic in major urban centres "which are still congested," Sapet said.
This hyper-connected taxi called "Autonom Cab" can accommodate up to 6 people, for collective or private use. And it looks like it's straight out of the future: on board, passengers can enjoy an interactive and cultural tour of the city, order their cinema or museum tickets or compose the playlist (music list) of their choice.
Technically, the taxi is equipped with more than a dozen sensors providing "important data to ensure the safe operation of our vehicles" and that of the passengers, Sapet stressed.
"Behind this technological innovation, I see a promise of a new mobility service," commented Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne, accompanied by the Minister for Territorial Cohesion, Jacques Mézard. "This is important at a time when I have launched the Assises de la mobilité, with the ambition of proposing mobility solutions for all and in all territories", she continued.
The vehicle, which costs between 230,000 and 250,000 euros, will be tested in the streets of Paris by Navya's teams and will be presented at the Las Vegas electronics show in January 2018.
Navya's not at her trial run. The start-up, founded in June 2014, has already launched an autonomous shuttle, which is in the testing phase in Lyon and Paris, as well as in other countries (United States, Switzerland, Australia, etc.). Based in Villeurbanne, the company employs around 100 people. Last year, it raised 30 million euros, notably from Keolis (a subsidiary of the SNCF) and the French automotive supplier Valeo.
Seen as one of the main avenues for the development of individual or collective mobility in the medium term, autonomous vehicles are the subject of a massive research and development effort, not only by manufacturers and equipment suppliers, but also by giants such as Google and start-ups, not forgetting universities.
Under current French legislation, which stems from the Vienna International Convention currently being renegotiated, autonomous vehicles are not authorised to travel on open roads without a driver.
Sources: Navya, AFP
