Khaleej
Times, Thursday, Dec 15, 2022 | Jamadi Al Awwal 21, 1444
AH
Dubai firm to trial driverless trucks over next few months
In line with Dubai’s drive to become the world’s smart mobility hub, Dubai South
today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Evocargo for the launch of
the UAE’s first autonomous vehicle trials for cargo at the master development’s
Logistics District.
The trials will see EVO.1, Evocargo’s unmanned electric logistics vehicle,
navigate Dubai South’s Logistics District from December until February 2023. The
Dubai-headquartered Evocargo is a logistics service provider that develops and
provides electric autonomous transportation platforms.
A key objective of the trials is to enable Evocargo to modify and redesign EVO.1
specifically for the Mena region. During the trial period, a remote operator
will be stationed onsite in the Control Centre to manage the platform. The
centre, located in Dubai South’s Logistics District, includes a software suite
to monitor the EVO.1’s operation, check the serviceability of the sensors, and
identify any errors.
Dubai’s Self-Driving Transport Strategy is multimodal and encompasses targeting
all seven modes of the public transport fleet, including metro, tram, bus, taxi,
marine transport, cable cars and shuttle. When fully implemented, the strategy
will help reduce transportation costs by 44 per cent or Dh900 million, saving
Dh1.5 billion through the reduction of environmental pollution and Dh18 billion
through raising the efficiency of the transport sector by 20 per cent.
The lifting capacity of the driverless platform is 2 tonnes, and it can
accommodate up to six EUR-pallets moving at 25 km/h for up to 200km. Charging a
vehicle for a full day’s operation takes 40 minutes to six hours, depending on
the outlet.
The security system of the EVO.1 platform has four tiers: the computer vision of
the space around the vehicle, an automatic diagnostic system, a remote-stop
system, and a standby pneumatic braking system.
Fleet management of EVO.1’s automatic pilot systems increases the efficiency of
freight transportation while significantly reducing truck downtime. Robotisation
and using electricity and hydrogen fuel cells instead of conventional fuel cut
costs.
Evocargo has 37 protected inventions and technologies. Patents cover algorithms
for visual positioning, automatic mapping, the calibration and integration of
sensors and cameras, methods for selecting safety speeds, and the parameters for
dynamic models.