Perth partners with NAVYA to trial electric driverless cars from April 2018

Perth, Australia, is set to become one of the first cities in the world to trial electric-powered driverless cars in its transit system.

The Government of Western Australia is partnering with the region’s branch of the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) and French electric car manufacturer NAVYA to deliver the project.  

NAVYA’s vehicles will arrive in April 2018, with the WA government and RAC working together to explore potential locations for the initial trial, and potentially for a limited on-road public trial with a trained chaperone as part of future stages.

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Western Australia’s Innovation and ICT Minister Dave Kelly said: "The autonomous vehicle revolution is coming and WA has the potential to be at the cutting edge of this new technology.

"High-tech new industries such as autonomous vehicles will be a source of the jobs of the future and I want to ensure this state is well placed to take advantage of these opportunities."

The vehicles in question are said to have a maximum speed of 90kmph, although it is not thought that the trials will get close to this.

If successful, the new cars could provide a valuable first and last mile service for the population of Perth, delivering people to and from train stations to start and complete journeys.