Global auto making partnership, the Renault-Nissan Alliance, and the France-based public transport operator, Transdev, have agreed to jointly explore development of mobility services with fleets of electric driverless vehicles for public and on-demand transportation.
The companies will collaborate to develop a comprehensive, modular transportation system to enable clients to book rides, and mobility operators to monitor and operate self-driving car fleets. The companies’ research will initially include field tests in the Paris-Saclay research and business cluster, with Renault ZOE electric vehicles (EVs), and Transdev’s on-demand dispatch, supervision and routing platform. The Renault-Nissan Alliance has been forming partnerships to accelerate the development of advanced connected-car technologies and mobility services. These include a partnership with Microsoft to develop a single global platform that will improve the customer experience by making driving more intuitive, intelligent and fun; and a partnership with Japanese internet company DeNA to begin tests in Japan to develop driverless vehicles for commercial services.
“As the mobility services landscape keeps evolving, we have a great opportunity to offer innovative, connected mobility solutions for the evolving needs of our customers, fully aligned with our vision of a zero-emission, zero-fatalities society,” said Ogi Redzic, the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s senior vice president of connected vehicles and mobility services. “Partnering with Transdev allows us to share our knowledge as leaders in electric vehicles, autonomous drive, and connected-car technologies, with one of the largest multimodal mobility operators worldwide. Together we will develop an advanced driverless mobility system that will enhance existing public and on-demand transport systems.”
Yann Leriche, chief performance officer at Transdev, said, “The future of mobility will be P.A.C.E. – personalized, autonomous, connected and electric. As a worldwide leader in public transport and on-demand shared services, we are committed to pioneer in mobility to always offer our clients the best solutions for their journeys. Our partnership with Renault-Nissan will reinforce our innovation capabilities and accelerate our time-to-market by combining our strengths with those of a global car manufacturer that shares the same willingness to enhance daily mobility to the benefit of clients.”
Meanwhile, in London, Nissan has started the first European on-road real-life public demonstrations of its latest autonomous drive technology. The company has already conducted public-road testing in Japan and the USA to show its easy-to-use autonomous drive technology in real-life situations. Passengers were given the opportunity to experience the technology, which consists of millimeter wave radar, laser scanners, cameras, high-speed computer chips, and a specialized HMI (human machine interface). The combined systems allow the vehicle to operate in an autonomous manner on both highway and city/urban roads, including runabouts, once the destination points are entered into its navigation system.
Takao Asami, senior vice president of research and advanced engineering at Nissan, said: “Innovation and ingenuity is at the heart of our brand and its people. This test of our forthcoming autonomous drive technology in the demanding conditions of London streets underlines our commitment to delivering Nissan’s intelligent mobility to our customers.”
