[AUTO] TRANSDEV: A WORLD LEADER IN AUTONOMOUS MOBILITY

[H O L D F I R E 流]

Admittedly, Google remains (by far) the player who has traveled the most kilometers with driverless vehicles. Called Waymo, the specialized subsidiary claims more than 20 million miles of road open since 2009 (in the United States alone, in ten states) and more than 20 billion in simulation. It also operates North America's only autonomous taxi service (Waymo One) in Phoenix, Arizona, using an app as easy to use as Uber's. Former company CEO John Krafcik (who decided to leave in February) calls these customers "Waymonauts." He claims that thousands of miles are traveled each week. However, it is not known how many people were privileged to board the fleet of 300 vehicles deployed in Arizona. What is certain is that Waymo has not yet reached the milestone of 3.5 million passengers carried with shared autonomous transport services claimed by Transdev. The group, jointly owned by Caisse des Dépôts and the Rethmann Group, has embarked on the adventure since 2005, first in Rotterdam. And it has deployed autonomous shuttles in more than 50 cities around the world, mainly in Europe (Germany, Spain, France, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden) but also in Australia, Canada, Chile and the United States. The vehicles traveled 1.6 million km. Transdev, which transports 11 million passengers every day across 5 continents, has unique expertise in safety, on-board comfort and passenger information. And autonomous transport intervenes in addition to the classic public transport service, with tools compatible with the transport networks and vehicles of all manufacturers. A separate division A separate division Illustrative photoPhoto Credit - Transdev There is also a structure called Transdev STA (Autonomous Transport Systems). Based in Satory, near Versailles (Yvelines), it is hosted by mobiLAB: a showcase for French research on mobility that it shares with VEDECOM (institute dedicated to individual, low-carbon and sustainable mobility) and Ifsttar (the French Institute of Sciences and Technologies of Transport, Planning and Networks). It should also be noted that for 15 months, an autonomous shuttle service made it possible to link the nearest bus stop (1 km away) and these premises (more than 5,000 people took advantage of it). Led by Patricia Villoslada (an ex of the PSA group where she spent nearly 15 years), the team consists of around fifty international experts from different sectors of activity (automotive, robotics, artificial intelligence, rail industry , aeronautics, mobility services, etc.). Agnostic, the Transdev subsidiary works with all shuttle manufacturers, whether French (Easymile, Lohr, Navya) or foreign (2getthere). And even with car manufacturers (Renault, for two projects in Rouen and Saclay). For the autonomous driving software, the specialized structure of Transdev has chosen that of Torc Robotics (an American start-up which has been bought by Daimler trucks). There is also a partnership with MobilEye, the champion in machine vision which provides sensors and software. These technologies are applied aboard the i-Cristal shuttle, co-developed with Lohr. But, Transdev STA is developing its own tools. For example, the entire on-board communication interface (screens, audio system) and especially the supervision software that allows a human operator to manage the fleet, to see what is happening inside and to take control. hand when needed. This system integrates cybersecurity as well as operational safety. Various use cases Various use cases Illustrative photoPhoto Credit - Transdev Through the various deployments, Transdev had the opportunity to move passengers between the metro and a stadium, on a university campus, within a business park, a nuclear power plant, in the city center, etc. But the two most emblematic projects are both in France. The first service of its kind on the open road in Europe, with autonomous ZOEs acting as robot-taxis, the Rouen Normandy Autonomous Lab project was set up in 2017, in partnership with the Rouen Normandy Metropolis, the Transdev group, Renault and the Matmut group, with the support of the Normandy Region and the Banque des Territoires. The objective was to offer a service in peri-urban areas within the Madrillet district in addition to public transport, between a Tramway terminus and a bus terminus. On this site, frequented by students and companies, on-demand transport was offered via a smartphone application and with fixed stopping points.