SINGAPORE: Singapore's first driverless electric vehicle will soon hit the roads, plying a two-kilometre route between Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and JTC Corporation's CleanTech Park.
NTU's Energy Research Institute, in conjunction with JTC and vehicle manufacturer Induct, and supported by EDB, are running trials on the electric vehicle, which can seat eight passengers and have a maximum speed of 20 kilometres per hour.
The electric vehicle is already in use in USA and Europe, but NTU is developing and testing new technologies to reduce its charging time and improve performance.
The two-year test project is the first of its kind in the region, and could be used to replace shuttle buses.
If the trials prove to be successful, the vehicle manufacturer said it may produce the driverless vehicle in Singapore and commercialise it in Asia
Pierre Lefevre, CEO of Induct Technology, said: "It's a small bus but the frequency can be higher and the price of ownership is much less than (operating a bus). If you want to run (the vehicle), it is between 30 and 50 per cent less expensive than a normal (shuttle) bus. It can be a solution in some areas.”
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