Ready to witness another historic moment in Abu Dhabi? The emirate just issued the first official licence plate for its first-ever self-driving delivery vehicle!
The Integrated Transport Centre (ITC), an affiliate of the Department of Municipalities and Transport, announced the launch of Abu Dhabi’s first pilot programme for autonomous delivery vehicles.
Rolled out in partnership with “K2” and EMX, the logistics arm of 7X, it’s under the supervision of the Smart and Autonomous Systems Council (SASC).
What do we know about the first-ever self-driving delivery vehicle?
Well, for starters, the project is still in its trial phase at Masdar City. However, getting here means we could soon expect a commercial rollout across Abu Dhabi, which in summer could mean respite for delivery partners and other gig workers.
The “Auto-Delivery” vehicles, developed by K2 subsidiary Autogo, are designed to provide an advanced solution for autonomous logistics. The self-driving delivery vehicle is equipped with smart mobility and AI-powered systems, so they don’t need human control to navigate city streets and deliver orders.
This trial operation supports the emirate’s strategic vision for smart mobility. For Abu Dhabi, that is to ensure that 25 per cent of all trips are made using smart transport solutions by 2040. And with autonomous taxis or self-driving taxis and other transport solutions already on the road, things are looking futuristic already!
Of course, there are plenty of other benefits. The eventual regularisation of something like a self-driving delivery vehicle in Abu Dhabi will advance smart logistics, ease traffic, cut carbon emissions, and enhance customer experiences.
What’s on the horizon
Autogo plans to extend its operations beyond Masdar City, working with new partners and expanding into wider public areas. Full-scale commercial deployment is expected in the coming months, so winters might just get more exciting.
Along with developing smart infrastructure, the emirate also seeks to localise the production of intelligent and autonomous systems, under the vision of the Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries (SAVI) cluster.
We can’t wait to see what the roads of the future hold!