Electric and autonomous mobility on four wheels enables many new concepts. Renault has now come up with one for short distances and frequented by pedestrians.
Renault has recently presented several concept vehicles under the EZ label, the particular advantages of which include both electric and autonomous driving. The EZ-POD now presented is the smallest test vehicle in this series to date. It takes up minimal traffic space and should move goods or people autonomously in city centers, shopping centers, company premises or hotel complexes.
The technical basis comes from Renault's series portfolio, because the Micromobil, which only takes up three square meters, is based on the Twizy. Like this, the EZ-Pod offers two seats in its all-round closed cabin, but not in a row, but diagonally opposite. Thanks to a wide opening door, Renault promises easy entry and exit for passengers. In addition, a variant for the transportation of goods was developed, which could be used, for example, in logistics centers or for delivery to customers.
So that the EZ-Pod can move around in traffic independently, it is equipped with some sensors. A camera, a lidar detector and radar sensors take care of the area in front of the vehicle. The latter are also used in the rear area. There is also a GPS receiver and antennas for networking for exact position determination. Renault does not give an exact indication of the driving speed of the pod, but the vehicle should basically move slowly, which also allows it to be used in areas in which many pedestrians are traveling.