Yandex to develop a driverless minibus in collaboration with KAMAZ
Yandex is going to enter markets of connected and self-driving cars. The collaborative project with KAMAZ is supposed to take first tests next year. It would be an autonomous 12-passenger minibus. Moreover, Yandex is going to integrate its intellectual services in Kamaz trucks' onboard computers, as well as they agreed with Toyota and Honda.
The largest Russian search engine operator Yandex intends to enter the autonomous vehicles' market, developing a driverless minibus shuttle in partnership with Tatarstan's truck manufacturer KAMAZ and NAMI automotive research facility. According to Fortune, the upcoming partnership was announced on 25 August. First tests of the bus are planned to take place next year, yet not on public roads.
The concept presented at Moscow International Automobile Salon is 4,6-metre long and 2-metre high. The bus is supposed to accommodate up to 12 passengers and would be able to drive about 200 km without recharge. A smartphone with a connection to Yandex's cloud should be used by a passenger to define his destination point.
By the way, driverless public transport is actively tested all over the world, though in many countries laws don't allow cars to operate without a driver. At the moment Finland is a pioneer with EasyMile minibuses circulating in the countryside and now starting in Helsinki. Greece, the Netherlands, China, Japan and Dubai are already testing it. However, these vehicles are mainly used for short-distance transportation because of their low speed.
Alongside with a self-driving bus concept, KAMAZ and Yandex are going to work on embedding Yandex's services in trucks' onboard computers. Company also made an agreement with Toyota Motor Corp.'s Russian unit to provide a range of services including maps with real-time traffic information for premium-class Camry models sold in the Russian market, reports Bloomberg. Besides, they signed the same deal with Honda Motor Co. in 2015. 'Cars are set to become the new generation of connected devices, and we are seeking to stake out a claim to this market that should be worth billions of dollars in the future,' said Andrey Strelkov, head of Geolocation Services in Yandex.
Connected cars are expected to grow into self-driving vehicles over time, and large automakers now focus on developing this issue. Open Automotive Alliance, founded in 2014 by some major car manufacturers like Audi, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai in partnership with Google Inc., is aimed at equipping cars with Android-based systems. Apple Inc. is keeping up too: CarPlay standard created by them is already available in a wide range of cars of different brands such as Ford, Kia, Opel, Volvo, etc.