Have you seen the driverless cars scooting around Downtown?
Don’t worry, robots aren’t taking over (yet) – but here’s a car that drives itself.
Pretty nifty, huh? Well these driverless cars have already been deployed in Downtown Dubai as part of a month-long trial.
Each car seats 10 people, cruises at around 25 kilometres per hour (though it can hit 40kmh) and will be used to take tourists along pre-programmed routes around Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard.
The cars, named EZ10, are actually rather cute in their own weird way.
Check out a video of EZ10 in action:
RTA and Emaar,are starting tomorrow the trial run of 1st Smart Vehicle at Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard@emaardubai pic.twitter.com/Z3mGXb0nmA
— RTA (@RTA_Dubai) August 31, 2016
The battery-operated cars are fitted out with all the necessary safety sensors and features to combat any obstacle it may come across, and it costs nothing to hop on for a ride.
They’re the first step in realising H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai’s, vision to turn 25 per cent of all mobility journeys in Dubai driverless by 2030.
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Sheikh Mohammed believes that doing so would not only “reduce congestion and reduce pollution”, but would also give back “millions of hours wasted” and lead to the “increased productivity of individuals”.
Here’s what Dubai might look like in 2030 once the driverless dream has been realised:
محمد بن راشد: #دبي المدينة الأولى عالميا في تطبيق منظومة ذكية متكاملة للتنقل ذاتي القيادة بدون سائق https://t.co/Pdgo897fqO
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) April 25, 2016
Speaking about the EZ10 cars, the RTA said on their Twitter page: “This experiment is also part of RTA’s plan to test driverless transit technology under the climatic environment of Dubai.
“Through this trial run of the smart vehicle, RTA intends to educate the public about autonomous car technology.”
EZ10 is expected to be rolled out across Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall, Dubai Opera and Souq Al Bahar in its next phase.
Is this what Sheikh Zayed could look like by 2030?
دبي تقدم نموذجا عالميا متفردا لمدينة المستقبل وتتحول لأكبر مختبر لبحث وتطوير وتطبيق تكنولوجيا التنقل ذاتي القيادة pic.twitter.com/5N3v4TLT0i
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) April 25, 2016
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