MCity Adds Autonomous Shuttle Tours

The University of Michigan’s MCity research campus for autonomous vehicles has inked a deal with France’s Navya Technologies, which will provide the school with a self-driving electric shuttle bus to conduct automated tours of the 32-acre site in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Arma electric bus, which was unveiled in 2015, can carry 15 people (11 sitting and four standing). The vehicle, which doesn’t have a steering wheel or foot pedals, uses lidar, stereo cameras and global positioning sensors to map and navigate its surroundings.

Lyon-based Navya has deployed about 30 of the $250,000 self-driving Armas in Australia, France and Switzerland. The vehicle is powered by a 33-kWh battery that can be fully charged in about eight hours. The shuttle's maximum speed is 25 mph.

As part of the partnership, Navya will become an affiliate member of the university’s Mobility Transportation Center. Next month the company will join TechLab, an experimental incubator that allows students to work with startup companies.

There are no immediate plans to operate the Arma on public roads in Michigan. But Navya says the vehicle could eventually be used to shuttle students to classes on U-M’s campus.