14 DAY TRIAL // Ford's solar-powered concept car is pretty cool, but the 100% all-electric self-driving four-wheeler launched at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES, for short) in Las Vegas this past Monday is not to be ignored either.
The vehicle is the brainchild of Induct, i.e. a France-based robotics company, and, as its manufacturers explain, it is the world's first intelligent, electric and self-driving shuttle.
Pure Green Cars tells us that, because it runs solely on electricity, Induct's Navia shuttle releases no greenhouse gas emissions. Otherwise put, it is as environmentally friendly as it gets.
The same source details that, unlike other 100% electric vehicles, this one can be recharged without using any cables. What's more, not even human intervention is mandatory.
This is because the Navia shuttle recharges by induction, i.e. with the help of magnetic fields. This means that it is fairly autonomous (some might say it's more autonomous than your average Joe and Jane would like their car to be) and can keep working for 24 hours a day.
One other feature that makes the Navia shuttle environmentally friendly is the fact that it does not need any special infrastructure such as rails to go about its job to transport people from one place to another.
Otherwise put, the cities that choose to add it to their fleet do not have to worry about having to roll out construction projects intended to modify existing infrastructure.
Since construction projects usually put quite a strain on the environment, this can only come as good news for Mother Nature as well.
The Navia shuttle can travel at a speed of 12.5 miles per hour (20.11 kilometers per hour), and can accommodate for up to eight passengers at a time.
Once on board, the passengers use a touchscreen to select where they want to go, and the vehicle makes sure that they reach their desired destination. The four-wheeler can also be made to follow a very precise schedule and route.
“Ideal for pedestrian areas or private campuses, such as airport parking, shopping malls, business parks, and universities, Navia can provide an on-demand, personalized transportation solution in areas that existing transportation cannot reach,” Induct explains.