According to NAVYA, the future is both autonomous and electric. This is what the French company’s self-driving vehicles are all about. It’s clear that using electric propulsion reduces CO2 emissions and it’s also believed that autonomous driving should reduce traffic congestion. It could also be an innovative way to have more efficient public transportation.
How Do The Self-Driving Vehicles Work
Navya’s vehicles are considered to be at Level 4 capability as they operate in self-driving mode within a limited area, known as geo-fencing. The French company says its vehicles have been designed for “last mile” travel, i.e. the final leg of a trip. This is typically between a transport hub and the final destination – for example, between a public bus/train station and a rider’s home. One service is already up and running in Paris between the Réseau Express Régional train station and Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Navya’s Autonom Cab is also being used in trials at the University of Michigan and in Las Vegas. There are many similar trials all over the globe, which will likely be turned into actual services eventually – or even in the near future.
Great for Moving Medical Supplies
At the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, four self-driving NAVYA shuttles are being used to move medical supplies from a drive-through testing site to a nearby laboratory. Jane Hata, director of clinical microbiology laboratory at the Mayo Clinic says that using self-driving vehicles to transport the specimens is an “absolutely brilliant” idea.
Because there is already an established route for transit with very little traffic, this is the perfect test bed for using autonomous vehicles for such purposes.
There is no doubt that NAVYA is already making an international impact and its cross-cutting team of professionals is looking forward to making that impact even bigger. The company is offering new mobility solutions that are more intelligent and more fluid.