For the longest time, driverless pods have been on the horizon of the automotive world with governments, corporations and visionaries looking to exploit the capabilities of this seemingly idealistic transportation paradigm to run cleaner, greener and more efficient mega-cities. The history of driverless autonomous vehicles has seen its share of failures and successes, with progressive challenges at the implementation stage giving way to innovative ways that look to make the system work for the investor, urban planner, and commuter alike. After successes in Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City, the Rivium Business Park in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Suncheon Bay in South Korea, and Heathrow Airport in London, driverless pods will soon be seen on the streets of Singapore. The system is expected to be operational by the end of 2016.
The new pods are the product of Dutch manufacturer 2getthere, and will be operated by Singapore’s SMRT Corporation—the city’s transport operator as a joint venture known as 2getthere Asia . While driverless technology has been implemented in Rotterdam, South Korea, and in London for closed areas, Singapore’s system appears to be based on the vast scale of Masdar City—a completely green, zero-waste megacity. Based on this “future city” template, Singapore’s driverless pods are expected to offer coverage in specially controlled environments. Early test prototypes include a 24-seat pod that will operate much like a bus service with predesignated stops within gated communities and campuses. Pods will have a top speed of 40 km/h and will also feature four-passenger pods with collision detection and wheelchair access. One of the important advantages of the system is the ability to use navigate in poor weather conditions. One of the distinctive features of these pods is their guidance system that uses magnets embedded in the road surface as opposed to the use of conventional radar-based systems. The service is expected to ferry about 8,000 passengers an hour on a single trip.
With Masdar City setting the standard for the global adoption of driverless pods, Singapore takes the next step towards implementing this revolutionary urban transit system.
