Renault Group - Experimentation Auntonomous Shuttle @Roland Garros 2024
In Europe alone, more than 400 major cities are gradually becoming low-emission zones, while ensuring that the population remains mobile at all times. Renault Group is convinced of the benefits of autonomous public transport and has been conducting trials for several years to find the best response to local needs. This includes, for example, the “Mach 2” project announced in 2023, which aims to integrate a fleet of automated electric minibuses into the public transport network in Châteauroux, France, from 2026. The aim of these trials is to offer a robotized electric miniBus platform based on the new Renault Master. This should be able to accommodate automation solutions from specialized partners such as EasyMile, Milla and WeRide.
Particularly flexible autonomous minibuses can take over passenger transportation around the clock in complete safety. In terms of costs and CO2 emissions per passenger, they offer an emission-free alternative or an efficient addition to the existing mobility infrastructure, including trains, streetcars and buses. The additional costs of robotization and automation are likely to be offset by the elimination of drivers. A simple remote monitoring system is sufficient to operate such a vehicle fleet.
Partnership with WeRide
The Renault Group is now launching a new partnership with the globally recognized autonomous driving specialist WeRide. The aim is the large-scale commercial deployment of vehicles with an L4 level of autonomy. These are vehicles capable of autonomously managing driving situations within a predefined area with remote monitoring, without the need for a driver on board. In view of the strong future demand for autonomous mobility in public transport, the venture capital fund Alliance Ventures, founded by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, invested in the young company WeRide back in 2018. Since then, WeRide has become a global benchmark for autonomous vehicles with more than 700 autonomous vehicles in operation – including 300 minibuses. The fleet has already covered more than 28 million kilometers in Asia, the Middle East and North America and will soon expand its activities in Europe with the Renault Group.
Autonomous shuttles for the Roland-Garros 2024 Grand Slam tennis tournament
As a premium partner of the Roland-Garros Grand Slam tennis tournament, Renault and WeRide are conducting a test run with electric and autonomous shuttles and demonstrating the maturity of new technologies for automated public transport services. From May 26 to June 9, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., this highly automated transport service will chauffeur guests from the P2 parking lot at Bois-de-Boulogne to the Roland-Garros stadium. At the end of the matches, the same service will take tennis fans to Place de la Porte d’Auteuil or back to parking lot P2.
