Start the tests that the company expects to complete in two years

Among the novelties of the EZ-GO, access through the front

It will have in 2020 with eight electric, 12 electrified and 15 autonomous

The prototype that Renault unveils at the Geneva show shows how it will be in two years a robot taxi, autonomous and with 100% electric propulsion. He has called it EZ-GO. It measures 5.2 meters long, 2.2 wide and 1.6 high, with a wheelbase of 3.8 meters. With a futuristic and innovative look, it has capacity for six people, who sit around a cabin with a flat floor, it is totally glazed and the access is from the front and from the front. It has wi-fi and mobile phone charger by induction. With rear-wheel drive, it is powered by an electric motor located at the rear to optimize the passenger compartment, the batteries are located under the floor and has the speed limited to 50 km / h.

Laurens Van den Acker, responsible for the design of Renault and this prototype, which can be a reality in two years, explained that the work was a challenge to dispense with driving position. “There are no rules here, we really start with a blank sheet.” As for the architecture justified the front door because it means a more “safer way to access, no street traffic and more comfortable because you walk, which also facilitates access to people with reduced mobility.”

To compensate for the insecurity that can occur in a car without a driver, he opted for glass surfaces, “everything is transparent, everyone sees everything, you do not have anyone behind you do not know what he does”. Its objective is that the EZ-GO will be an icon of the city in the future that will implant it as the taxis of New York or London are currently.

All the sensors necessary for autonomous driving are located in an antenna on the back of the roof that is deployed when it starts up. The active suspensions facilitate that the vehicle rises a little when it is necessary and thus to maintain the smooth and fluid behavior.

Due to its symmetrical body it has bands of led lights, white in the direction of the march and red in the rear, which serves as information for users and pedestrians.

Renault has already begun to make real trials with autonomous vehicles and its goal is to have the first results in two years. It currently has two projects underway in collaboration with Transdev, a French mobility operator operating in 19 countries. In Rouen, in the Normandy region, four autonomous ZOEs have started to circulate in a 10-km route, which function as a shared car. In Saclay, south of Paris, a university area and where numerous R & D centers are set up, two autonomous ZOEs circulate along existing transport routes. In both cities the service is requested through the Smartphone. For now circulate with a supervisor because French law prohibits a vehicle from driving without a driver.

As explained by Virginie Mallard, vice president of R & D of the Renault group, responsible for these projects, “the implementation of the autonomous car will also force to modify some laws.” Mallard said that in 2020 Renault will have a range of eight electric models, 12 electrified and 15 with autonomous technology.

The world – ANA MONTENEGRO – Paris-Geneva – 6 Mar. 2018 (Translation Soft)