Renault trials on autonomous taxi in Paris

Groupe Renault experiments on an on-demand shared electric autonomous taxi service as part of a governmental initiative on the Paris-Saclay urban campus.

From 14 October to 8 November 2019, a test group of 100 people participates in the ‘Paris-Saclay Autonomous Lab’ project. Participants of the project have been selected to represent a general university campus population. The daytime service will allow the panellists to move freely around the campus, designed to mimic everyday mobility. The available options include traveling to one of the schools or laboratories on the campus, going somewhere for lunch or to play sports. The service covers 12 pick-up/drop-off points chosen out of most frequented areas on the campus.

Two Renault ZOE prototypes will be in service throughout the entirety of the four-week public trials. The vehicles include individual screens that give notifications about disruptions and arrival times, speakers for music and USB ports for device charging. One vehicle includes ‘separate compartments’ for passengers, and the other is equipped with the passenger seats facing each other, which is designed to be in line with the service’s car-sharing ethos. At the end of the trial period, participants are asked to share feedback about their experience, vehicle comfort levels, on-board services, and the mobile app. The ZOE Cab app enables users to hail a car when they require, as well as book one in advance. Users indicate their position, destination, and the number of passengers.

Groupe Renault is also working with Nissan and Waymo to provide further autonomous mobility services in France and Japan.

Read more about the Paris-Saclay Autonomous Lab project here.

Picture copyright @GroupeRenault