The city of Gothenburg and local public transport authority, Västtrafik, in Sweden are conducting a five-month test of a new autonomous mobility solution – an electric shuttle service. Two autonomous electric shuttles manufactured by the French company, Navya will operate during weekday office hours on a fixed 1.8km (~ 1.1 mile) route which serves an industrial and science park.
Navya’s shuttles use a high-performance sensor architecture which allows the vehicle to locate, analyze, and interact with the environment in real time. The shuttles have a maximum speed of 20 km/h (~12.5 mph) and can carry up to eight passengers with required social distancing in place. Charging takes five hours, and the vehicles can run for up to seven hours on one charge, depending on weather conditions.
The service will be operated by transportation company Keolis. It will connect with existing bus lines and users will be able to track shuttle schedules in their travel app or on the city website. A safety operator will be present in the vehicle at all times.
The shuttle trial is part of Next Generation Travel and Transport – a government-funded initiative that includes S3 (Shared Shuttle Services) – a shuttle trial program backed by a coalition including RISE, Västtrafik and Keolis. The first self-driving bus was initially tested on the Chalmers University of Technology campus in 2018.
“We are delighted to step up our decade-long collaboration with Västtrafik and offer a new mobility solution to Gothenburg residents and visitors with this innovative, sustainable, flexible mode of transportation,” said Bernard Tabary, CEO International Keolis Group.