Driverless vehicles, however much they may seem like a utopia or characters from a science fiction movie, are closer to being a reality in Barcelona. The Renault group and the WeRide company have put an autonomous bus, driverless but designed to carry passengers, into circulation for testing in the city center. The vehicle has sensors that allow it to visualize obstacles in a 360-degree angle all around, as well as ten cameras and, therefore, circulate safely through the city.
The director of Open Innovation at the Renault Group, Vicente Mirandés, has stated that "the fundamental objective of these tests is to demonstrate that this technology is mature" so that these vehicles can circulate in "very complex" environments such as the center of Barcelona, with thousands of cars, taxis, bicycles, and pedestrians circulating through its streets.
Specifically, the vehicle begins its circular route on Paseo de Gràcia, between Mallorca and València streets, and then turns onto Gran Via, goes up Rambla Catalunya and returns along Rosselló street to its point of origin. Citizens who want to try it for free can do so until Friday.
The prototype currently has a maximum of eight seats, but Renault's idea is to create vehicles with a capacity of between 10 and 20 passengers. "This is a system capable of behaving as a driver would, since from the information it collects from its positioning sensors and cameras, it processes and analyzes the data to make decisions and learn while operating to circulate as smoothly as possible," Mirandés defended.
The director of Open Innovation at Renault also pointed out that these autonomous and electric minibuses offer an advantage due to their low acquisition and operating costs compared to other vehicles. Thus, he detailed that these vehicles are cheaper than other electric buses and that costs are significantly reduced mainly because they do not require drivers, who account for two-thirds of the service's operating cost.