The autonomous vehicle development company Urban.AV has announced it’s planning to launch a driverless on demand service between Cambridge North Station and the city’s Science Park.
The company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of a group of British-based tech companies, will utilise a new 5G enabled Zero Emission Mobility vehicle, the UrbanPod Pro, which the company says integrates human-centric design and state-of the art technology.
The UrbanPod Pro is a connected, autonomous, unmanned ground passenger and cargo vehicle that the project aims to “shift Cambridge’s reliance on private cars and vans towards more sustainable, shared public transit systems”.
The work is supported by the Greater Cambridge Partnership, which aims to get one in four people out of their cars and onto more sustainable models of transport.
Passengers are positioned three-facing-three layout which Urban.AV says means enhanced safety and social-distancing within the flexible cabin.
It adds the fully electric and scaleable platform allows for bi-directional drive simplifying manoeuvring, enhancing ride-comfort whilst minimising the impact on existing city infrastructure. It gives passengers 40% more space than a London Black Cab and includes front/rear luggage compartments.
This is the first of a series of products being developed by Urban.AV that will include a variety of larger capacity and more advanced specification vehicles and a fully autonomous cargo version.
