World's first commercial driverless car goes on sale - but it only reaches a top speed of 12mph



Navia carries up to eight passengers and costs around $250,000 (£152,000)

Electric vehicle uses lasers to detect obstacles in its path, rather than GPS

It is expected to be used in areas such as airports, university campuses, stadiums and arenas and costs 40 per cent less than traditional shuttles



The race to get the first self-driving cars on the road has seen the likes of Tesla and Google battle it out to develop their most advanced vehicles.

But a relatively small French company has now beaten the motor giants to it by unveiling the world’s first commercially available driverless car.

The forty-strong company, Induct, announced this week that its zero-emissions vehicle is now available in the U.S.

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French group, Induct, announced this week that its zero-emissions vehicle is now available in the U.S.

It might not have the sleek lines of a Tesla, or the stylish interior of a BMW, but the group’s Navia shuttle could help pave the way for more advanced autonomous vehicles.

Launched at the International CES show in Las Vegas, it can carry up to eight passengers and costs around $250,000 (£152,000).

The electric vehicle, which doesn't go faster than 12.5 mph, uses on-board lasers to detect obstacles in its path, rather than GPS.

It might not have the sleek lines of a Tesla, or the stylish interior of a BMW, but the group's Navia shuttle could help pave the way for more advanced autonomous vehicles The electric vehicle, which doesn't go faster than 12.5 mph, uses on-board lasers (left) to detect obstacles in its path, rather than GPS. It also has a manual stop button (right) in case of emergencies



NAVIA: THE WORLD'S FIRST COMMERCIAL DRIVERLESS CAR

Navia can carry up to eight passengers and costs around $250,000 (£152,000). The electric vehicle, which doesn't go faster than 12.5 mph, uses on-board lasers to detect obstacles in its path, rather than GPS. Users can summon Navia from their smartphones or call it up from their desktop.

Once on board, passengers use a touchscreen to select their destination. Rather than for regular road use, the car is expected to be used in areas such as airports, university campuses, stadiums and arenas. It also doesn’t require special infrastructure such as rails so it can work on any kind of site.

The company claims the car is different because it is ‘intelligent, self-sufficient and environmentally friendly’.

For instance, users can summon Navia from their smartphones or call it up from their desktop. Once on board, passengers use a touchscreen to select their destination.

It also doesn’t require special infrastructure such as rails so it can work on any kind of site.

Rather than for regular road use, the car is expected to be used in areas such as airports, university campuses, stadiums and arenas.

‘Imagine a city without noisy, polluting buses, replaced by environmentally-friendly, robotic shuttle buses that can be summoned by your mobile phone,’ said Pierre Lefevre, chief executive of Induct.

‘Navia is completely self-driving, 100 per cent electric, emission-free, safe and simple to use. It is the ideal solution for taking pedestrians that “last mile”’.

The car is currently being used in beta version at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland and the Atomic Energy Authority in Abingdon.

‘The average cost of running a regular shuttle service with driver in the United States is $200,000 per year,’ added Mr Lefevre.

Rather than for regular road use, the car is expected to be used in areas such as airports, university campuses, stadiums and arenas

A view of the street as seen by the car's sensors. The system doesn't require special infrastructure such as rails so it can work on any kind of site

‘With Navia, we are able to offer a safe, environmentally friendly solution and reduce the operational costs by 40 to 60 per cent.’

With more elaborate plans, electric car company Tesla Motors is expected to produce a driverless car within the next three years, according to its chief executive, Elon Musk.

The move will see Tesla overtake Google, who four years ago began the race to bring driverless cars on to the road.

Google’s programme, however, has been slow to get off the ground because carmakers are worried about potential liabilities from accidents, according to a source speaking to the Financial Times in September.

Tesla Motors will produce a driverless car within the next three years, according to its chief executive, Elon Musk. Its autonomous car would allow the driver to hand over 90 per cent of the control of the car

Google has already fitted out several cars with radar-like equipment that lets them navigate roads in California and Nevada

The group, however, has already fitted out several cars with radar-like equipment that lets them navigate roads in California and Nevada.

Musk's three-year timeline is more ambitious than those set out by other car makers, as well as analysts that say it will take 10 to 15 years before self-driving cars become a reality.