Dubai puts autonomous smart car through its paces on roads

A new smart autonomous vehicle is being tested on Dubai’s Business Bay District by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Dubai Properties.

A driverless vehicle in Business Bay, Dubai Photo courtesy: RTA

DUBAI // A smart autonomous vehicle is being tested on Dubai’s Business Bay District by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Dubai Properties.

The electric-powered vehicle is 100 per cent environmentally friendly and can travel for up to eight hours before needing a recharge. The vehicle can accommodate 10 people (six seated and four standing) and can travel at 10 kilometre per hour.

The trial is part of RTA’s plan to test autonomous vehicle operations in Dubai’s climate.

Public perceptions of autonomous transport will be tested with a questionnaire, said Ahmed Bahrozyan, chief executive of RTA’s licensing agency and chairman of the smart vehicles committee.

Dubai government has set a target of 25 per cent of all journeys by driverless transport by 2030.

The run at the Business Bay was followed by trials at Dubai World Trade Centre and Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard.

Mr Bahrozyan said RTA was also working on draft rules for an emirate-wide smart mobility strategy.

Fitted with high safety and security standards including four-directional GPS system, the vehicles use laser sensors enabling them to detect objects up to 40 metres away.

The vehicle slows down automatically once an object comes within two metres and then makes a complete halt if that distance closes to less than two metres.