VALENCE, France, Feb. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- WeRide (Nasdaq: WRD), a global leader in autonomous driving technology, today announced the first European fully driverless commercial deployment of its Robobus as part of a shuttle service partnership with beti, Renault Group, and Macif that will feature an L4 -level automated mobility service in France's Drôme region.
WeRide will provide its L4-level autonomous technology for a passenger transport service on open roads in mixed traffic, with several six-meter-long robobuses, each able to carry eight passengers, operated by beti Automated Mobility. Beti Automated Mobility will begin operations on March 10, at the Rovaltain business park - Valence TGV station in Drôme.
"Our collaboration with beti allows us to execute our inaugural commercial Robobus deployment in Europe, utilizing our proven track record in the Chinese, Singaporean, and Middle Eastern markets, and ultimately reinforcing our position as a global leader in L4 autonomous driving deployment and commercialization." said Jennifer Li, CFO and Head of International Business at WeRide.
Benjamin Beaudet, CEO of beti, explained that beti's "hypervision" solution provides a second layer of safety for automated driving and ensures continuous improvement of the system.
The route is 3.3 km long and serves the train station, off-site long-term parking, the business park's catering hub, and 150 companies employing 3,000 people.
Key use cases include:
- Providing flexible mobility between the station and companies while promoting sustainable last-mile transport.
- Creating a low-carbon alternative to walking between parking and the station.
- Connecting companies to the catering hub for employees.
This deployment is groundbreaking because:
- This is WeRide's first fully driverless commercial Robobus deployment in Europe, showcasing its global expansion.
- It's the first high-level automated service connecting a railway station to a business park.
- WeRide's L4 automation enables 40km/h speeds and dynamic obstacle avoidance.
"Following successful trials conducted by Renault Group and WeRide, the beginnings of a passenger transport service using automated shuttles are now being set up in Valence." said Patrick Vergelas, Head of Autonomous Mobility Projects, Renault Group.
The initial learning phase will run from March 10 to April 19, operating Monday to Friday under real passenger transport conditions. It will demonstrate the relevance of the service, the safety of the technology and the efficiency of the operations. A second target operating phase will start in July.
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