Skip to main content

New Zealand airport to trial autonomous shuttle

New Zealand’s first on-road research trial of autonomous vehicles has been launched at Christchurch Airport, with the arrival of a fully autonomous Smart Shuttle which will begin testing in the next few weeks. Christchurch International Airport has partnered with the country’s intelligent transport system (ITS) supplier, HMI Technologies for the trial, which will use a French manufactured NAVYA ARMA autonomous shuttle vehicle operating on private roads of the Christchurch International Airport campus. Th
January 27, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
New Zealand’s first on-road research trial of autonomous vehicles has been launched at Christchurch Airport, with the arrival of a fully autonomous Smart Shuttle which will begin testing in the next few weeks.

Christchurch International Airport has partnered with the country’s intelligent transport system (ITS) supplier, 8502 HMI Technologies for the trial, which will use a French manufactured NAVYA ARMA autonomous shuttle vehicle operating on private roads of the Christchurch International Airport campus. The Smart Shuttle will carry 15 people, has no steering wheel and is electric powered.

It has no steering wheel and has guidance systems that combine many different types of technology including LiDARs, stereo vision, and odometry. It is also 100 per cent electric and can operate on inductive charging.

Christchurch Airport chief executive Malcolm Johns says his team is keen to understand how autonomous shuttles might operate at Christchurch Airport and how people may react and interact with them.

"We can see the potential for driverless vehicles to transform and enhance mobility and transport options on the airport campus. We want to explore the possibility of deploying autonomous vehicles to assist people moving around our campus efficiently and sustainably, so we formed a partnership with HMI Technologies to consider how we might make this happen."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • In-vehicle safety standard released for consultation
    July 24, 2012
    The new ISO 26262 standard for safety-related vehicle systems is now available for comment. MIRA's David Ward talks to ITS International about what the standard will mean for vehicle and road safety in the future. The publication on 8 July this year of ISO 26262 as a Draft International Standard (DIS) marks an important progression for the automotive - and, in time, the cooperative infrastructure - industries. A couple of years from now, automotive OEMs will be able to subscribe to a unifying standard for s
  • Here’s HD AV map prepared for 5G
    June 17, 2019
    The emergence of 5G may not be necessary to provide a high-definition map for autonomous driving, says Matt Preyss from Here Technologies. Ben Spencer asks why 5G is a hot topic worldwide, with the potential for faster transfer of information eagerly awaited by those convinced that it will be a game-changer for the ITS industry. High-definition (HD) maps are essential to allow autonomous vehicles (AVs) to understand their environment, and operate safely within it in relation to other road users and p
  • The real case for driverless mobility
    May 13, 2024
    What will automated driving really be good for? Bern Grush of Urban Robotics Foundation offers his thoughts on the big issues around its implementation - and suggests a newly-published book might point the way forward
  • change in the US transportation sector
    February 1, 2012
    Transportation for America's James Corless talks about the changes needed in the US's transportation policy. Anew report, 'Smart Mobility for a 21st Century America', highlights how improving efficiency through technology is critical as the US's population grows and ages, budgets tighten and consumer preferences shift.