A bicycle does not look like a con-
ventional taxi, yet both modes of
transport are vying for at least one
common segment of the market,
essentially a younger, city-dweller
and the occasional tourist. Bikes are
offering a clear alternative mode of
transport, especially convenient on
crowded city streets.
Rise of the self-driving shuttle
As opposed to bikes that accom-
modate one rider, newly emerging
smallish shuttles will accommodate
between sic to 12 passengers. Here
are some examples in the U.S. and
abroad:
Optimus Ride, a spinoff of MITs mo-
bility lab, describes itself as self-driv-
ing technology company. It is making
significant strides in implementing
its system in what are called “geo-
fenced” areas of operation. This
essentially means operating within
a property that has clearly-defined
boundaries. The company recently
announced implementation of its
system in New York’s Brooklyn Navy
Yard. This facility covers 300 acres,
houses 400 manufacturing business-
es, and employs 9,000 workers. At
about the same time the company
also announced a driverless shuttle
program for the residential develop-
ment, Paradise Valley Estates, locat-
ed in Fairfield, California. According
to the company, “Optimus Ride will
provide residents and workers at
both sites with access to efficient
and convenient self-driving mobility
within defined, geofenced areas.”
In perhaps its biggest project,
Optimus announced a partnership
with Brookfield Properties to deploy
self-driving vehicles at Brookfield’s
Halley Rise development, located
just outside of Washington, D.C.
Halley Rise is a $1.4 billion mixed-use
development that will transform a
36-acre office park in Reston, Virgin-
ia into 3.5 million square feet of new
housing, local retail, modern offices,
public green spaces, and year-round
cultural activations.
The strategic partner-
ship with one of the
major real estate de-
velopers in the country
bodes well for on-going
expansion of the com-
pany. (IPO anyone?)
Self-driving shuttles
hit Europe and Asia
The Optimus shuttle in various U.S.
locations.
Telecommunications company Erics-
son has partnered with local Swedish
public transportation and technology
providers to conduct a six-month
trial of two electric self-driving
shuttle buses on public Stockholm
roads. The goal is to test how the
autonomous vehicles perform under
real-word conditions for an extended
period alongside cars, cyclists and
pedestrians.
In Finland, the company, Sensible 4,
after testing its technology in arctic
Lapland conditions, has partnered
with a design team from Japanese
retail giant Muji to produce an au-
tonomous shuttle bus. Called Gacha,
the self-driving electric vehicles
will undergo trials in three cities in
Finland across 2019, with a goal of
deploying a commercial fleet some-
time in 2020.
And in Singapore, A driverless bus
developed by French firm EasyMile
is to go into operation at a business
park in California and a park in
Singapore. The shuttle bus has been
in trial and in operation in Singapore
since 2017. The EZ10 is designed
for last mile travel, such as between
travel hubs and final destinations,
or for looped routes within confined
areas, like airports, city centers and
business parks.
The EZ10 is fully electric and is
powered by a lithium-ion battery,
which can be fully charged in eight
hours, resulting in up to 12 hours of
operation.
What’s in store for the gated com-
munity?
Two things are quite clear from
this overview individualized bike
ride-sharing systems and of driver-
less technology applied to mid-sized
shuttles: First, with regard to the
bikes. They are very convenient,
much cheaper than alternative trans-
portation modes, and have found a
ready market, even in colder, season-
al climates. Moreover, such systems
are rapidly spreading in the U.S., and
I have been told by component sup-
pliers in Canada that bikes, especially
electric-powered bikes are very hot
throughout Europe.
Secondly, self-driving technology is
definitely here—not for all transport
environments, but definitely a fit
in restricted areas, such as parks,
campuses, and, yes, in gated com-
munities. In fact, gated communities
would, in all likelihood, be an ideal
target market for self-driving shuttles.
Also note, however, that self-driving
technology can be packaged in a wide
range of vehicles. My vision for the
gated community is, in fact, a small,
two-person fleet of vehicles with
space for groceries, tools, or golf bags,
that can be fully-enclosed. The vehi-
cle would be on-call via an app, and
once used could return, like a homing
pigeon to its cozy nest for recharging.
What do you think? Ready to give
up your PTV beauty? Probably not,
but you might see your way clear to
the additional convenience of MaaS.
And, of course, for some, handi-
capped, or having reached that age,
where driverless technology would
a welcome necessity.
AUGUST 2019
21