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Partners Plan Autonomous Shuttle in Finland

Finland-based Sensible 4 Ltd. is working with Japan’s Ryohin Keikaku Co. to develop an autonomous shuttle for harsh-weather applications.

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Finland-based Sensible 4 Ltd. is working with Japan’s Ryohin Keikaku Co. to develop an autonomous shuttle for harsh-weather applications.

The partners aim to publicly unveil the vehicle next March in Helsinki and begin tests on public roads in three other Finnish cities soon thereafter. Commercial applications in Finland are targeted for 2020.

Sensible 4 is providing the autonomous vehicle technology, which the company says has been tested and validated under arctic conditions. Finland allows testing of approved driverless vehicles, according to the partners.

Ryohin Keikaku is designing the bus. Dubbed the Gacha Shuttle, the 117-inch-long vehicle can carry 16 people (10 seated and six standing). The all-wheel-drive electric bus has a top speed of about 25 mph and can travel 62 miles per charge.

The bus’s battery can be replenished by a standard fast-charging system or an optional wireless unit. Other features include an LED message board that can display messages to other road users.

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