Navya, the French manufacturer of autonomous e-shuttles, is expanding its production facility in Michigan. An autonomous freight car is also planned.
The US is the main market for Navyaaccording to the comments of the manufacturer of autonomous e-shuttles regarding the extension of the manufacturing facility in the US state of Michigan.
Navya in the M City. Source: Navya
The Navya factory is located in saltworksa place not far from the metropolis Detroit, The US plant employs 25 people who mount vehicles there. In the future, they also want to produce more and more, namely the robot taxi Autonomous Cab, as well as a new development.
In addition to the E-shuttles and, in the future, a baggage car, robotic taxis are also being produced that have already been introduced on the occasion of the CES in Las Vegas her curves were turning. Also an autonomous e-shuttle runs in Las Vegas since then, as well as one on the campus the University of Michigan.
One of the saline vehicles has even been exported, after Candiac in the Canadian province of Quebec. There it drives since August of this year around. Only one handcrafted vehicle is produced in saline per month. Therefore, five more people are to be hired by the end of the year.
A Navya shuttle costs $ 320,000, and the Autonom Cab will be even more expensive as more complex sensors need to be installed. Because instead of driving on predetermined routes, the robot taxis will be able to drive on different roads. For safety, there will always be one person on board.
The reason for the expansion of the plant in Saline is also due to the expectation that the United States will be the largest market for Navya. The US is a high-wage country and that is necessary for implementation, as it replaces human labor. With the vehicles from Navya save the staff. The go only where the travelers earn a lot. But for the use it still needs a legal framework set,
Next year, Navya plans to launch three pilot projects with the robot taxi: in Lyon, France, in Perth in Australia and an undisclosed location. This place could be located in the US, if the legal framework was right.
Furthermore, Navya is now cooperating with the French company Charlatte Manutention for the development of an autonomous luggage carrier for airports. This new development is to be presented in the summer of 2019. The competition of Navya, EasyMile, already has such a vehicle developed and puts it in the PSA plant in France on,
So far, they have produced 100 autonomous e-shuttles, which have transported about 300,000 people in 17 countries. The company’s profit is estimated at $ 11.5 million for 2017. For this year, a profit of $ 34.5 million is planned. In the first half of 2018 alone, 36 vehicles were sold, amounting to 10.3 million US dollars.
The parent company Keolis owns 14 percent of the listed company and also the French supplier Valeo is invested in Navya.
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