The Vaivec project has had a budget of 1,013,873.98 euros, of which 600,029.86 euros have been subsidies from the Government of Navarra. Zizu (project leader), BeePlanet Factory, Anteral, Inycom, Truck&Wheel, Geoactio and NAITEC have participated in its development. Last Monday the first pilot tests of the vehicle were carried out.
Vaivec, the autonomous, electric and energy efficient vehicle that has been funded by the Government of Navarra and developed “entirely” in the region was publicly tested last Monday. The tests, carried out by the technology center NAITEC and the company Zizu, served “to test in a real environment the capabilities of the vehicle and to advance in the development of an autonomous navigation application for passenger transport”.
The vehicle autonomously follows a pre-established circular route with intermediate stops for future passenger boarding. An authorized operator is located in the cab of the towing vehicle in charge of the controls, ensuring safety at all times.
Vaivec is equipped with a GPS positioning system that “defines the vehicle’s geoposition with centimeter precision”. Thus, an autopilot “guides the vehicle through the points that make up the pre-established route”. During the journey, “the system sends its position, speed, direction, status, etc. to the engine control unit, where the information can be displayed”.
The project
Vaivec is an initiative funded by the Department of Economic and Business Development of the Government of Navarra within the call for grants for the implementation of strategic R&D projects 2019-2021.
The consortium’s goal was to create an autonomous, environmentally friendly vehicle with a certain load capacity to adapt to the mobility needs of industries, airports or tourist facilities. The prototype currently has a cabin for two people, although it has a load capacity that would allow it to transport visitors or work material. It is a vehicle that can be driven manually or autonomously along predefined routes. The Lidar and radar technologies with which it is equipped would enable it to detect obstacles and act accordingly.
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