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."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • TRA 2018: Vienna conference highlights
    June 5, 2018
    Digitalisation of transport systems, the regulation of new technologies and more charging points for electric vehicles in cities were among the talking points at this year’s Transport Research Arena conference. Alan Dron sifts through the highlights in Vienna. More than 3,000 transport sector specialists converged on TRA 2018, where the four-day event’s agenda included scores of topics covering regulation, technology and the effect of the digitalisation of road transport systems. Who should control those
  • Cohda trial proves C-ITS can work in tunnels
    August 29, 2019
    Connected cars require uninterrupted signals to ensure driving safety. Going underground creates problems – but a trial in Norway suggests that there might be light at the end of the tunnel… As connectivity becomes increasingly important for transportation – in particular for connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AVs) - the problem of ‘blackspots’ and dead zones where signals fail or drop out is a pressing one. But developments early this year suggest that advances in technology might be on the brink of d
  • Outlook good for transportation technology funding
    January 25, 2012
    Chris Cheever and Chris Thomas of Fontinalis Partners discuss the funding outlook for the ITS industry – where the money’s going to come from, and what needs to happen to facilitate change
  • Diversity dominates ITS recruitment workshop
    October 27, 2016
    ITS offers more interesting and engaging careers than other engineering disciplines because it is less component-based and gives more importance to human factors and the integration of other domains. So says the report from a multinational recruitment stakeholder workshop staged by ITS(UK) at the 2016 ITS in Europe Congress.