2getthere’s Group Rapid Transit vehicle passes desert climate test

2getthere’s Group Rapid Tansit (GRT) autonomous vehicle has proven in a simulated desert climate that it can maintain an indoor temperature of 23˚C even in the worst scenario (52˚C outside temperature and 3% humidity). The climate test took place in the Utrecht province and is one of many tests regarding the mega-order received from United Arab Emirates earlier this year. From 2020, five vehicles will perform fully autonomous shuttle services to and from Bluewater Island in Dubai.
October 26, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

8172 2getthere’s Group Rapid Tansit (GRT) autonomous vehicle has proven in a simulated desert climate that it can maintain an indoor temperature of 23˚C even in the worst scenario (52˚C outside temperature and 3% humidity). The climate test took place in the Utrecht province and is one of many tests regarding the mega-order received from United Arab Emirates earlier this year. From 2020, five vehicles will perform fully autonomous shuttle services to and from Bluewater Island in Dubai.

GRT was subject to three tests in weather conditions such as ‘hot dry’ and ‘hot humid’ with a focus on the performance of the air conditioning system (ACS) at the vehicles maximum capacity of 24 passengers.

13 ACS has been developed in collaboration with suppliers DC Airco and Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) who used the simulation of heat management in relation to airflow within the vehicle in its design of the air conditioning. Its development has been partly financed through a 2024 Massachusetts Institute of Technology research grant in which DC Airco and 2getthere have both participated.

The simulated weather conditions included extremely high temperatures and sun radiation with average peaks in the sun radiation of 1,040 Watts per square metre and peaks in temperature of 52˚C around 3.30pm. In the climatic chamber, both peaks were simulated at the same time.

The GRT’s 16 standing passengers represented 120 Watts each and eight seated passengers each represented 100 Watts were simulated by placing a 3000-Watt heat source inside the vehicle. Part of the test focused on performance during transition: the speed at which indoor conditions are brought back to the most comfortable level for passengers after the doors close and the vehicle starts its journey. The most extreme test was based on the vehicle standing still with the doors open for six minutes, but in actual circumstances much shorter stops will be sufficient to allow 24 passengers to enter the vehicle and find their seats.

According to 2getthere the test marks another step towards the operational deployment of the system, scheduled for 2019/2020.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • StreetLight exposes walking data planning flaws
    March 23, 2021
    Research comes as Governors Highway Safety Association reveals spike in pedestrian deaths
    Read More
  • Autoliv joins OSCCAR future automotive safety project
    July 24, 2018
    Automotive safety systems company Autoliv has joined safety initiative OSCCAR, part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research project. OSCCAR (Occupant Safety for Crashes in Cars) also includes partners such as Toyota, Siemens and various academic institutions. Autoliv says it will help develop harmonised methods and tools for vehicle restraint systems which could feature in automated vehicles. Cecilia Sunnevång, vice president, research at Autoliv, says the project will provide information on
    Read More
  • Vienna’s first electric bus goes into operation
    October 31, 2012
    The first electric bus (eBus) to be used in Austria’s capital city of Vienna has been put into service by the municipal transport authority, Wiener Linien, the first operator in Europe to implement and integrate eBuses into scheduled service. Designed and developed by Siemens Rail Systems and bus manufacturer Rampini, the vehicle is the first of twelve with which Wiener Linien intends to move two of the city's bus services to electric power by the summer of 2013. The vehicle’s total energy requirement is st
    Read More
  • Volkswagen emissions – ‘a missing global standard is the issue’ say UK organisations
    September 24, 2015
    The UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) and research organisation Frost and Sullivan have both commented on the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal, which has resulted in the resignation of CEO Martin Winterkorn. The world's biggest carmaker by sales has admitted to US regulators that it programmed its cars to detect when they were being tested and altered the running of their diesel engines to conceal their true emissions. Winterkorn said, “I am shocked by the events of the past few days. Above
    Read More

Highlighted Content