Coventry driverless vehicle pioneer looks to impress Down Under

DRIVERLESS vehicle technology developed in Coventry is set to make its debut 10,000 miles away on the other side of the world.

RDM Group has been invited by the Australian Driverless Vehicle Initiative (ADVI) to showcase its new autonomous pods to visitors at the 23rd World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), which takes place in Melbourne between October 10-14.

It is the first time the firm has exhibited outside of Europe and underlines its intention to expand into new territories, including the Asia-Pacific market where it is already in talks with Government and universities on providing ‘first and last mile’ transport solutions.

Delegates to the high-profile show will be able to explore the pod on the ADVI stand and talk to technical experts about the technology used and its capabilities, which include a top speed of 15 mph off highway, an operational range of 60 miles and the fact it can be built in two, four, six and eight-seater variants.

“The ITS World Congress is a fantastic global stage for our business and we are delighted that our technology is generating significant interest thousands of miles away from where it is being developed,” said RDM founder David Keene.

“Australia is committed to being at the vanguard of driverless vehicles and we have been in discussions with ADVI for some time now about our autonomous pods and how we can potentially build, market and sell them in the Asia-Pacific region.”

By exhibiting one of its ‘Pod Zero’ vehicles the company is hoping to bring the concept to life and ignite interest amongst potential users.

“This is just the start of a concerted push in Australia and this includes us signing up as an official partner of the Australian Driverless Vehicle Initiative,” he added.

Executive Director of the ADVI Centre of Excellence, Rita Excell said: “ADVI and its 80 national and international partners look forward to working with RDM to make Australia one of the countries pioneering on-road driverless vehicle research.”

“Australia has become a global hub for driverless vehicle innovation by supporting and attracting leading companies such as RDM. It’s a fantastic display of commitment to industry collaboration and growth in the Asia-Pacific market.”

Pod Zero, fresh from completing the UK’s first public autonomous trial in September, will be staying in Australia after the doors have closed at the ITS World Congress.

With the support of ADVI, the Pod will be making its way to the ADVI Capital City Forums around Australia where the general public will get a chance to experience the future of smart mobility.

ADVI will also display the Pod at several conferences and exhibitions within the Asia-Pacific market over the next year to promote the future of transport, driverless vehicles and the RDM Pod Zero range.