An autonomous bus is now available for the public to use, in a 4 week trial carried out at the Chalmers University of Technology campus in Gothenburg. The bus is available to the public between the main entrance of the University and the University's Library.
The project, which is led by RISE, is part of the Swedish Government's ‘Next Generation Travel and Transport' programme and is partly funded by Vinnovo. It is the second project of its kind in Sweden this year, with driverless buses introduced in Stockholm in January.
Birger Löfgren from RISE leads the work. "These small, self-driving buses are a completely new type of vehicle - which creates opportunities we did not think previously existed," he said. "They can help us understand how cities of the future can develop, with reducing private car ownership and creating more efficient transportation, especially where people are sharing rides.”
After the trial at the University campus, the project will move to Lindholmen Science Park, where a significant part of Sweden's vehicle technology development is taking place. There, the project will continue for six months.
The electric buses used in the trial are manufactured by Navya and have a maximum speed of 20km/h. On one charge, they can have an operational capacity of 10km or 8 hours. The bus is 4.7 m long, 2.6 m tall and 2.1 m wide, and weighs 2,400 kg. It can carry 11 seated passengers.
Image: Alma half profile. Photo: courtesy of Autonomous Mobility, Birger Löfgren (RISE)
Source: story first published by Drive Sweden on 03/05/2018
Link to full story: Drive Sweden
Details
- Publication date
- 10 May 2018
- Location
- Gothenburg
- Topic
- Clean and energy-efficient vehicles
- Collective passenger transport
- Policy and research
- Country
- Sweden