Self-Driving Bus Company Navya To Set Up Manufacturing Facility In South Australia

Self-Driving Bus Company Navya To Set Up Manufacturing Facility In South Australia

After revealing its hydrogen energy plan last week, the South Australian government has already signed up a potential manufacturer for its fleet of renewables-powered buses: Navya, a French company that specialises not only in electric vehicles, by autonomous ones too.

I say “potential” as there’s no mention of the fleet in the press release from SA Premier Jay Weatherill.

However, seeing as Navya will have manufacturing facilities in Adelaide to serve the Asia Pacific region, it’s not much of a stretch.

“Establishing a driverless car vehicle operation here in South Australia is the perfect bridge connecting our past in traditional vehicle manufacturing and our future in advanced manufacturing in a clean, carbon neutral environment,” says Weatherill.

“South Australia is already leading the nation in driverless vehicle technology and this is the next logical step”.

Which is true — just last year, South Australia gave the go-ahead to autonomous vehicle testing on real roads and in a few months, will host the International Driverless Vehicle Summit.

The widespread use of self-driving electric vehicles always feels five years away, but it looks like it’ll happen a lot sooner if SA has anything to say.

[Premier of South Australia, via Australian Manufacturing]


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