Source: AFP
French carmaker Renault said on Wednesday it will pursue the development of autonomous minibuses for public transport, but will stick to driver-assistance functions for personal cars for now.
It announced it will demonstrate the technology’s readiness for public transport by running a shuttle service, along with partner WeRide, at the Roland-Garros tennis tournament in Paris later this month.
Renault offers driver assistance features in many of its models that allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel but still have their eyes on the road and be ready to take control of the car at any moment.
“Further automation of certain functions, with the aim of achieving full vehicle autonomy, seems unlikely for now, given existing regulations, customer expectations and the cost of complex technology,” Renault said in a statement.
![](https://images.yen.com.gh/images/3789f4020bfd7777.jpg?impolicy=cropped-image&imwidth=256)
![](https://images.yen.com.gh/images/3789f4020bfd7777.jpg?impolicy=cropped-image&imwidth=256)
Read also
Asian markets are mixed as focus turns to the US inflation report
The company said there was a huge gap in technological sophistication to get to the point where drivers don’t have to pay attention to the road.
“At this stage, the resulting costs borne by customers, relative to the driving benefits, would make demand insufficient or even anecdotal,” it said.
But that cost proposition is different when applied to public transport, and that’s where Renault said it will focus.
“When it comes to public transport, Groupe Renault intends to be a real player in sustainable and autonomous mobility,” he said.
Renault said it is developing an electric, robotic and pre-equipped minibus platform that will host various automation solutions from its specialist partners.
It announced a new partnership with self-driving company WeRide for large-scale commercial deployment of vehicles capable of self-managing driving situations in a defined area. Although these vehicles do not have an operator on board, they are still remotely monitored.
![](https://images.yen.com.gh/images/c46b01be39ea644a.jpg?impolicy=cropped-image&imwidth=256)
![](https://images.yen.com.gh/images/c46b01be39ea644a.jpg?impolicy=cropped-image&imwidth=256)
Read also
Students, activists, entertainers: Minecraft’s global reach
Renault said it will demonstrate the autonomous minibuses’ capability at the Rolland Garros tennis tournament in Paris later this month.
“As a leading partner of the tournament, Renault is innovating with WeRide by creating a test of electric and autonomous buses that will facilitate access to the Roland-Garros stadium, while demonstrating the maturity of new technologies for automated public transport services,” said Renault. .
Minibuses will transport visitors between a parking area and the stadium complex.
“Groupe Renault … will be able, well before the end of this decade, to propose a highly relevant range of autonomous low-carbon minibuses to meet the growing needs” of transport authorities in low-emission zones, he said The company. chief technology officer, Gilles Le Borgne.
Source: AFP