Navya to launch self-driving electric shuttle service in Abu Dhabi project

Navya’s self-driving electric shuttle will operate as a daily mobility service for a planned city project in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The Autonom shuttle will link parking areas in Masdar City with its main podium. Navya and Abu Dhabi’s Department of Transport have customised the shuttle to mitigate the effects of extreme heat and humidity on battery performance. They also carried out health and safety tests to ensure the safety of passengers and pedestrians. Autonom can c
October 26, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
8379 Navya’s self-driving electric shuttle will operate as a daily mobility service for a planned city project in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The Autonom shuttle will link parking areas in Masdar City with its main podium.


Navya and Abu Dhabi’s Department of Transport have customised the shuttle to mitigate the effects of extreme heat and humidity on battery performance. They also carried out health and safety tests to ensure the safety of passengers and pedestrians.

Autonom can carry up to 12 passengers and has a full operational speed of 25 kilometres per hour.

The vehicle uses on-board cameras and Lidar sensors to create 3D and 2D ‘perception maps’ to detect nearby obstacles. Autonom defines its location via GPS and uses vehicle-to-everything technology to communicate with traffic lights.

Navya says it will deploy seven more shuttles for the project next year. The vehicle’s route map will be expanded to connect the Etihad Eco Residence complex above the city’s north car park with the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency and the My City Centre Masdar shopping centre.  

In %$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 4 36368 0 link-external August false /sections/general/news/navya-electric-autonomous-shuttle-to-operate-on-open-roads-in-canada/ false false%>, Autonom was began operating on public roads with mixed traffic in Québec as part of an agreement with Keolis Canada and the City of Candiac.

The shuttle is running along a 2km route between Exo park-and-ride lot and the bus terminal and the intersection of Marie Victorin and Montcalm North Boulevards. Riders can use the shuttle to reach their workplaces from the bus terminal.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Uber introduces bus service in Egypt
    December 17, 2018
    Uber has launched its Uber Bus service in Egypt as part of a strategy to provide commuters living in Cairo with an affordable transportation option. The service can be accessed via Uber’s standard app. Uber groups passengers travelling in the same direction to make the service more affordable and reduce the number of stops per trip. Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO, says: “We are committed to broadening access to the Uber platform with a range of low-cost options that will move more people around town an
    Read More
  • Uber to redirect focus to bikes and electric scooters
    August 28, 2018
    Uber intends to focus more on its electric scooter and bike business as it says individual modes of transport are better-suited to inner city travel. Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s CEO, believes users will make more frequent, shorter journeys in the future, the Financial Times reports. "During rush hour, it is very inefficient for a one-tonne hulk of metal to take one person ten blocks,” he says. Uber’s Jump electric bikes are now available in eight US cities such as San Francisco and Washington DC, and are
    Read More
  • Didi Chuxing issues public apology for death of female passenger
    September 3, 2018
    Chinese ride-sharing company Didi Chuxing has blamed its own ‘vanity’ for lapses in safety which led to the rape and killing of a 20-year-old female passenger. The firm issued a public apology for the incident which took place on 28 August and says it will now prioritise safety over growth. In an emailed statement, Didi founder Cheng Wei and president Jean Liu say: "We see clearly this is because our vanity overtook our original belief. We raced non-stop, riding on the force of breathless expansion and
    Read More
  • Sompo to launch system to assist virtual testing of AVs
    February 19, 2019
    Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance is to develop a system which will allow local governments to carry out virtual tests of autonomous vehicles (AV). A report by The Japan News says the insurance company is hoping to reduce costs associated with real-world testing by providing a virtual environment which will feature road conditions based on 3D maps. This project stems from an agreement with Tier IV, a developer of autonomous driving technologies and measuring technology firm Aisan Technology. The system
    Read More

Highlighted Content