So the other day we reported that over in Beverly Hills, they wanted to implement their own self-driving car network that could act as a form of public transportation. The idea is that it will help solve some problems, such as accidents and also parking, and now it looks like over in Asia, Singapore has had a similar idea.
However instead of self-driving cars, Singapore will be getting driverless pods. These pods aren’t meant to replace existing modes of public transport. Instead it seems that they will be designed to be used on smaller roads, like those within a gated community or a school campus, or basically places which might be further from public transport stops compared to others.
These pods will be built by Dutch company 2getthere who will be working with Singaporean transportation operator SMRT, with each pod expected to fit 24 passengers, with an estimation that per hour, these cars should be able to handle as many as 8,000 passengers headed in a single direction. The best part is that Singaporeans (or tourists) won’t have to wait years to try them out as these pods are expected to be made available by the end of the year.
That being said, driverless pods aren’t exactly new. Abu Dhabi’s business park, Masdar City, already employs a similar pod, albeit smaller, but in concept it is the same thing. These pods are powered by electricity which should also help reduce their carbon footprint. Pretty cool, huh?
Filed in . Read more about Self-Driving Cars.