Arthur J. Villasanta – Fourth Estate Contributor
Las Vegas, NV, United States (4E) – The first fully autonomous shuttle operating on public streets in the United States but developed in France began operating in Las Vegas today — and was promptly struck less than an hour later by a truck backing-up. The semi was driven by a human being.
The electric shuttle or bus was built by Navya SAS, a French manufacturer of driverless electric and robotic vehicles based in Villeurbanne near Lyon. Its Las Vegas operations are being managed by French transit company Keolis in conjunction with the American Automobile Association (AAA).
Keolis is the largest private sector French transport group. It runs passenger railways, tramways, bus networks, funiculars, trolley buses and airport services.
The egg-shaped, driverless shuttle or autonomous electric vehicle (EV) from Navya is called “Arma.” It seats eight persons and is powered by an electric motor that can run for over eight hours on a single charge.
The shuttle has a top speed of 45 km/h and will travel its preset loop from the Fremont East section of downtown Las Vegas at about 24 km/h. Rides are free. There are three pickup and drop-off spots along the 0.6 mile-long route.
Arma talks to computers controlling the city’s smart infrastructure, including traffic lights, to help improve safety and traffic flow.
The Arma involved in the freak accident was grazed by a semi that was backing up. None of the passengers in the shuttle was hurt.
One of the shuttle’s passengers said the EV didn’t move as the semi started to back-up. It just stood still until the collision.
The shuttle “did what it was supposed to do, in that its sensors registered the truck and the shuttle stopped to avoid the accident,” said a statement issued by Las Vegas.
“Had the truck had the same sensing equipment that the shuttle has the accident would have been avoided.”
There are currently more than 50 Navya shuttles being used around the world. Most of these EVs are used in schools. The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor plans to start operating two Navya shuttles on campus this month.
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