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| Navia - The first driver-less vehicle |
Navia is the first commercially available driverless vehicle in US
introduced by the French company Induct. Navia is capable of travelling
12.5mph powered by an electric motor. It is not yet ready for the US
traffic; however it can make 10 people travel from point to point in
university campuses or in airport parking lots. It charges itself
wirelessly. When the vehicle comes to know that the battery is low it
takes itself to a charging station and plugs itself in.
It is being tested on college campuses in Switzerland, Britain and
Singapore according to Induct founder Pierre Lefevre. The main motive of
Navia is 'last mile mobility' at the airports, campuses shopping malls
and other densely packed places.It is basically an overgrown golf cart
which has no seats to sit. It is easy to operate Navia as it has no over
head wiring or need for tracks.It can also charge by itself and is safe
to run.
"It works like a horizontal elevator. You come in and choose your stop," says Max Lefevre, the company's marketing director.
