Autonomous shuttle trial begins

New Zealand’s first on-road trial of a fully autonomous shuttle began at Christchurch Airport this morning. The EV Smart Shuttle will carry 15 people and has no steering wheel. “Autonomous electric vehicles are part of our future. They are coming, ready or not, and I’d rather be ready,” said Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel in a statement. The trial is in partnership with intelligent transport systems provider HMI Technologies. Christchurch Airport CEO Malcolm Jones said that airport staff are keen to see how autonomous shuttles will operate at the airport, and how people will interact with the technology. “We want to explore the possibility of deploying autonomous vehicles to assist people moving around our campus efficiently and sustainably,” he added. Dave Verma, director of Australasian driverless vehicle technologies, emphasised the importance of both getting hands-on public experience with autonomous vehicles and showcasing the technology to both commercial operators and the government. “We want the New Zealand public and students to have the opportunity to participate and provide feedback on the experience,” he said. The trial will begin in the next few weeks on private roads on the airport campus and is expected to take at least two years.