Skip to main content

Dutch municipality to deploy driverless shuttle on public roads

The municipality of Ooststellingwerf in the northern Netherlands is taking part in a three-month self-driving vehicle pilot project, which will see two shuttle vehicles travel from the Netherlands National Forest Service visitor centre to Wester Es in Appelscha, a distance of 1.55 miles. The driverless EZ10 shuttles, developed by Easymile, are autonomous electric vehicles without steering wheel or pedals; a ‘driver’ travels with the vehicle to stop it in the event of an emergency. The shuttles servic
July 7, 2016 Read time: 1 min
The municipality of Ooststellingwerf in the northern Netherlands is taking part in a three-month self-driving vehicle pilot project, which will see two shuttle vehicles travel from the Netherlands National Forest Service visitor centre to Wester Es in Appelscha, a distance of 1.55 miles.

The driverless EZ10 shuttles, developed by 8246 Easymile, are autonomous electric vehicles without steering wheel or pedals; a ‘driver’ travels with the vehicle to stop it in the event of an emergency.

The shuttles service run on virtual tracks that can be easily configured to accommodate sudden shifts in demand. It uses cameras, lasers and GPS to detect other vehicles and pedestrians and adjusts its trajectory and speed to avoid a collision.

For the pilot, the shuttle, which seats 10 people and it has a maximum speed of a little less than 10 miles per hour, will operate during daylight and under favourable conditions.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ITS homes in on cycling safety
    April 9, 2014
    A new generation of ITS equipment is helping road authorities get to grips with cycle safety – and not a moment too soon as Colin Sowman discovers. Cyclists - remember them? Apparently not. At least not according to the OECD 2013 report Cycling, Health and Safety which contains the statement: ‘Cyclists are often forgotten in the design of the road traffic system’. Looking through the statistics that exist (each country appears to compile them differently) it is not difficult to see how such a conclusion cou
  • New solutions for catching texting drivers
    October 28, 2016
    Many countries have laws prohibiting texting while driving but enforcement is proving difficult – David Crawford looks at some new approaches being tried by authorities. Finding definitive solutions – technological, regulatory and educational - to the potentially lethal practice of people driving while using mobile phones is proving elusive, while the stakes grow higher.
  • Smartphone solution for parking performance
    March 31, 2017
    Automated parking offers optimised space utilisation and fewer damage complaints as David Crawford discovers. As cars become smarter, technology designed to make parking them more straightforward is developing in parallel. In turn, it is becoming clear that the places where vehicles spend much of their time will need to respond – more comprehensively than by supporting established aids such as smartphone-based parking location and reservation, or payment for time used.
  • Smartphone solution for parking performance
    March 31, 2017
    Automated parking offers optimised space utilisation and fewer damage complaints as David Crawford discovers. As cars become smarter, technology designed to make parking them more straightforward is developing in parallel. In turn, it is becoming clear that the places where vehicles spend much of their time will need to respond – more comprehensively than by supporting established aids such as smartphone-based parking location and reservation, or payment for time used.