Skip to main content

Induct introduces the Navia fully-electric driverless shuttle

French mobility solutions specialist Induct recently announced its first delivery of Navia, the self-driving electric shuttle developed under a partnership with Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). According to Induct, Navia is the first automated electric shuttle offering an environment-friendly alternative to public transport and private cars in urban areas. The automated driverless electric vehicle carries up to eight passengers at a maximum speed of 20 km/h, and was designed t
February 12, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
French mobility solutions specialist 7149 Induct recently announced its first delivery of Navia, the self-driving electric shuttle developed under a partnership with Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).

According to Induct, Navia is the first automated electric shuttle offering an environment-friendly alternative to public transport and private cars in urban areas.  The automated driverless electric vehicle carries up to eight passengers at a maximum speed of 20 km/h, and was designed to complement conventional transport, public or private.

Navia is fitted with laser telemetry, GPS and sensors that detect the vehicle’s acceleration (accelerometers) and its rotation (gyroscopes) around all three axes (to and fro, side to side, up and down), enabling it to instantly calculate its position, route and distance travelled, in real time, enabling it to carry its passengers in complete safety and take them where they want to go without fuss.

Induct says Navia is ideal for those environments that need a simple, safe and environment-friendly mobility solution: pedestrianised city centres, large industrial sites, airports, theme parks.

Philippe Vollichard, deputy to the EPFL vice-president for planning and logistics, explains, "Our collaboration with Induct enables us to make effective progress on our scientific research work on induction charging and artificial intelligence, not only in the laboratory, but also outdoors. This project fits in the development of our Innovation Square, where we welcome many start-ups to our Scientific Park. We are delighted to take part in the project since, within the framework of its mobility plan, EPFL is exploring the most innovative public transport solutions for the first and last kilometer. Following a public tender procedure launched in 2011, EPFL identified the solution put forward by Induct and means to contribute to that concept's validation with the competent authorities. The school hopes to be able to deploy this technology on a large scale."

Related Content

  • Changes needed to Italy's enforcement tendering?
    February 2, 2012
    Fixed penalty notices KRIA's co-founder and President Stefano Arrighetti discusses the events which led up to investigations into the fraudulent use of his company's T-RED red light enforcement system and his house arrest. Looking forward, he says, there needs to be fundamental reform of how Italy goes about the enforcement contract tendering process
  • San Sebastián to demonstrate automated passenger vehicles
    February 15, 2016
    Following similar demonstrations in other European cities such as Lausanne (Switzerland), La Rochelle (France) and Trikala (Greece), the European Commission (EC) has selected Donostia/San Sebastian, Spain, to operate an automated bus for three months, that will run Gipuzkoa Science and Technology Park and it will be the first demonstration not only in Euskadi but also in Spain. The selection is part of the CityMobil2 European project, the objective of which is to experiment and to understand how automate
  • LiDAR sets its sights on future problems
    February 23, 2017
    AAdvances in LiDAR are helping transport authorities improve services and identify potential problem areas, as geospatial technology expert Dr Neil Slatcher explains. The effects of climate change on the transport infrastructure have long been a cause of concern within the transportation sector - and not only on the structures themselves but also on the surrounding areas. This year, those concerns have become reality with landslides, structural collapses and surfacing issues impacting services across the wo
  • Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe and ViaVan launch on-demand ridesharing service
    January 3, 2018
    Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) and ViaVan, a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz Vans and Via have launched a two-year project to create an on-demand ridesharing service in Berlin with routes that can be adapted by its passengers, in Spring 2018. The pilot aims to reduce congestion through deploying 50 Mercedes-Benz vehicles with plans to expand the fleet to 300. Public acceptance of the scheme will also be assessed. Each journey starts and ends at a virtual stop which is shared with other passengers.