Beginning in 2021, an EZ10 driverless shuttle from EasyMile will carry passengers between a train station and business park in Belgium, operating in mixed traffic.
The deployment will take place in southern Belgium’s Louvain-La-Neuve, according to a news release, connecting the Louvain-La-Neuve train station to the Einstein business campus.
Known as the Navajo project, it will involve testing a self-contained autonomous shuttle in a complex environment as well as on-demand transportation, according to Le TEC’s website. Le TEC, the local transport operator, along with EasyMile partner Ush, will support the city during the project. This includes setting up the service, maintaining the shuttle and training staff members.
On the route, the shuttle will share the road with other vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. Testing will be completed over three phases and will include gauging passenger and road user acceptance of the vehicle.
For the on-demand portion of the project, ViaVan, a company that equips more than 100 on-demand transportation services around the world, will develop a “dynamic environment that manages, among other things, an efficient guidance and grouping system, an ergonomic travel planning and booking interface for customers and a driver interface designed for safe driving,” according to the website.
The project is slated to last six months.
