An autonomous shuttle from France's NAVYA recently collided with a pedestrian in the Austrian capital Vienna. A 30-year-old woman was hit by the vehicle at a speed of 12 kilometres per hour. The self-driving van pilot has been temporarily halted following the accident.
The accident occurred with the autonomous shuttle developed by NAVYA. This vehicle is designed to transport visitors in urban areas or on private property. The shuttle is hereby portrayed as an innovative, effective, clean and intelligent mobility solution.
No steering wheel or pedals present
The shuttle can drive completely autonomously, with no human driver present. The vehicle is therefore not equipped with a steering wheel or pedals, and uses a sensing system to find its way to its destination independently. This includes the use of lidar sensors, cameras, GPS, IMU and odometry. The data thus collected is analysed using deep learning algorithms, which make decisions based on it. If travellers need to stop the vehicle, two emergency brakes are available for this purpose.
The vehicle can carry 15 people at a time. The shuttle has a total of 11 seats and four step seats. The vehicle is 4.75 metres long, 2.11 metres wide and 2.65 metres high. The shuttle weighs 2,400 kilograms.
25 kilometres per hour
The shuttle is powered by an electric motor, which drives two of its four wheels. The electric motor has a rated power of 15 kW and a peak power of 25 kW. The vehicle can travel at a speed of up to 25 kilometres per hour and climb an incline of up to 12 degrees. The electric motor is supplied with electricity using a 33 kWh LiFeP04 battery. Using a 3.6 kW plug, this battery can be charged in eight hours, while this process takes four hours with a 7.2 kW plug.
In Austria's Vienna for NAVYA's shuttle has been tested on public roads since early July; two vans drive autonomously through the city. The vehicles were fitted with a human driver during the test, who can intervene in emergencies to prevent accidents.
Collision
However, things went wrong recently, several European media reported. A NAVYA shuttle collided with a pedestrian, with the vehicle hitting her knee. The woman reportedly sustained no injuries from the incident. Following the incident, the trial of NAVYA's autonomous shuttles in Vienna has been halted. It is unclear if and when the vehicles will be allowed back on Austrian roads.
This is not the first time NAVYA's shuttles have been involved in an accident. In 2017, an autonomous shuttle from the company collided with a truck in Las Vegas, USA, which was reversing. However, the fault lay with the truck driver, who allegedly drove backwards without looking. Passengers later stated that the driver of the shuttle had no room to reverse and therefore could not avoid the accident. Commenting on the accident, a spokesperson for the Las Vegas municipality then informed that the shuttle did exactly what was expected during the accident: it had come to a complete stop.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
