Three out of four French people are in favor of the autonomous vehicle, which could play a decisive role in rural areas
The second edition of the VEDECOM & MACIF barometer on the acceptability of the autonomous vehicle by the French reveals that 73% of them have a positive attitude towards this means of transportation: an increase of 3 percentage points compared to 2020 (equivalent to about 2 million of the French population).
In 2020, the French had a positive perception of the automated vehicle, given that it’s introduced in a context of environmental preservation and improvement of inclusive mobility. With the growth of autonomous mobility experiments on the French territory, has the perception of the French changed in 2021? Do they see themselves using it regularly, everywhere and for everyone? What do they expect from it?
“Mobility for all, autonomy for all: this is the ambition of our community of interest on shared autonomous vehicles for the past 3 years. The autonomous vehicle must first meet a societal need before being a technology used by individual drivers. It’s in this way that the shared autonomous shuttle will help to revitalize isolated areas by providing access to employment, health care or by making mobility accessible to all.” Yann Arnaud, Director of Responses to Member’s Needs and Innovation at Macif and Leader of the Autonomous Vehicle Community of Interest.
More than 50% of French people are ready to try it
18% of respondents have already seen an automated vehicle, 6% more than in 2020. More and more people want to test it, and 5% have had the opportunity to use one this year (2 points more than in 2020).
More than half of the French people (53.50%) say they intend to try autonomous mobility in the coming years (+11 pts). More than 6 out of 10 say so when they have already seen an automated vehicle (+15 pts) and more than 7 out of 10 when they have already used one (+10 pts). In general, nearly 4 out of 10 French people (39%) plan to regularly use an autonomous vehicle (+6 pts).
The autonomous shuttle: a way to revitalize remote areas
The autonomous vehicle is highly anticipated in rural areas to provide for day-to-day services (e.g., on-demand services for isolated seniors or last-mile deliveries to industrial zones). It will finally make mobility accessible to all. A new way to get around? Yes for 67% of French people who believe that the shared autonomous vehicle will allow people living in rural areas to no longer be dependent on the private car. Nearly 3/4 of them think that shared autonomous shuttles would be useful in rural areas to go to appointments or to do shopping and 2/3 to go to the nearest town, the nearest train station or to work.
Automated mobility would respond to a concern that the French have for the most vulnerable populations. It would be useful in rural areas for the elderly (for 81% of respondents), then for those who do not have a driver’s license (78%), who do not have a car (74%), or for people with reduced mobility (64%). One French out of two would also be in favor of transporting children and teenagers in rural areas by autonomous shuttles.
Reaching out to those who will need it most
Although still low, the visibility of the autonomous vehicle is increasing throughout the country, including among rural residents. 12% of rural residents have already seen an automated vehicle, a figure that is up 4 points from 2020, but only 2% have used one (+ 1 point) compared to 7% of urban residents (+ 2 points).
The visibility of the automated vehicle is higher and growing more quickly among young people, city dwellers and executives: 24% of the 18-24 years old have seen an automated vehicle (+6 points), 23% of city dwellers (+7 points) and 22% of executives (+4 points). More than 8% of the latter have already tried an automated vehicle (+3 points). There is therefore an educational balance to be found between urban and rural populations, but also between young and old.
As for the unemployed, only 3.5% have tried an automated vehicle. This is a progression, though, since none had tried one last year.
The autonomous vehicle, associated with green energies
Autonomous vehicle is perceived as more ecological than non-autonomous vehicles by nearly 63% of respondents (+ 3 pts); 77% (+ 7 pts) of them even think that compliance with ecological standards will be mandatory. 62% of the French perceive the ecological side of the shared autonomous shuttle more than for individual automated vehicles, for which they have a reservation.
6 out of 10 French people say they are safer in an autonomous vehicle
Trust and safety is the second element that encourages the French to use an autonomous vehicle. Moreover, the same as last year, nearly 6 out of 10 French people (57.80%) say they feel safe in an automated vehicle and more than 5 out of 10 (54%; +2 pts) think that this vehicle is reliable.
The respondents consider using an autonomous vehicle as soon as they have seen or tested it at least once. To try it is to adopt it!
More confidence among the youngest respondents for level 3 – More than half of the French say they trust automated vehicles (+3 points). There is a 14 points increase in the 18-24 age group, with 41% trusting at least limited automated driving (i.e., level 3).
Autonomous mobility, symbol of freedom
When asked this year about the main elements that would encourage them to use an autonomous vehicle in general, the French mention the first, the possibilities of well-being and freedom that it brings (41% of responses). Autonomy is associated with comfort and serenity, via the on-board activities it makes possible (talking on the phone, sleeping…). Autonomous mobility everywhere and for everyone is also very appealing to the French, who are already planning to use it in concrete ways (e.g., improving mobility for the elderly and connections between cities).
However, when the French have the choice between different types of automated vehicles, they prefer the one that allows them to be able to regain control (level 3) in order, for 55% of them, to keep the mastery and maintain complete command of the car.
Trying would be adopting it
The results of this second edition clearly show that the introduction of automated vehicles, as well as the more advanced experiments, have an impact: they maintain the positive perception of the French and their a priori confidence, as well as reinforce their feeling of safety. Awareness and perception indicators confirm that the French need to know more about this new kind of mobility.
For Eric Lebeau, Managing Director of the VEDECOM Institute, “this second survey clearly shows the direct and positive link between experimentation and acceptability of the autonomous vehicle: it is now time to move on to deployment and to observation during real-life operational service pilots. The popularity rating of autonomous vehicle is slowly but surely improving, with a strong expectation for shared and electric services such as shuttles, which are perceived as more environmentally friendly and inclusive than the individual vehicle.”
The major expectation is in rural areas where autonomous mobility makes sense. Autonomous shuttles will be relevant in these areas to improve the existing network and therefore the mobility of residents who do not have access to a personal vehicle, to provide new services, and to encourage car owners to use shared formulas.
“We still need to structure a sector that can respond to the needs of the local authorities, both in terms of opportunity studies, vehicles supply, services and appropriate infrastructure,” concludes Eric Lebeau.
Methodology of the VEDECOM & MACIF Acceptability Barometer
The Automated Vehicle (AV) Acceptability Barometer was conducted with a representative panel of the French population (gender, age, geographic distribution) consisting of 4,061 people. The questionnaire was administered from October 18 to 28, 2021. The questions asked made it possible to collect data on :
- the relationship with the autonomous vehicle and in particular the main brakes and levers for using an automated vehicle
- the preferred type of autonomous vehicle to be chosen among 4: Personal Vehicle (PV) level 3 (limited autonomous driving), PV level 4 (almost complete autonomy), Robot cab level 5 (complete autonomy), Bus / autonomous shuttle level 5
- evaluation of the acceptability of the 4 vehicles including in particular the perception of the AV in terms of safety, trust, protection of personal data and attitudes (i.e. judgments on the desirability of an object or a behavior and/or its consequences, a positive attitude towards the AV amounts to judging it desirable whereas a negative attitude amounts to judging it undesirable) and the reasons for these choices
- themes related to current issues: ecology, mobility in rural areas, energy, deliveries
- the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents and their degree of technophilia (i.e., a technophile is a person who appreciates and/or encourages new technologies).
The barometer was built on the basis of the previous edition, new scientific studies and a series of interviews conducted with French people.
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January 25, 2022
An R&D institute and partnership foundation, VEDECOM manages public-private partnership research projects in the field of sustainable mobility, supporting French industrial sectors. To overcome the health and economic crisis, VEDECOM has decided to go back to its core activity in 2021. This action has led to the incorporation of VEDECOM Tech subsidiary.
VEDECOM Tech SAS, a 100% subsidiary of VEDECOM created in 2017, was missioned to market its parent company’s assets – mainly technological bricks in the field of automated driving. It offered engineering services and project management in the field of electrification, automated and connected vehicles and new mobility services. It had won several contracts in France and abroad in the field of civil and military mobility. However, the market conditions following the Covid-19 health crisis have not allowed VEDECOM Tech to remain viable since 2020.
VEDECOM Tech was therefore dissolved on December 9, 2021. Its assets were fully transferred to VEDECOM within a universal transfer of ownership (juridic announcements magazine JSS, 18/12/2021).
The VEDECOM Institute has recovered the financial conditions to implement its strategic plan. It is gearing up to meet the mobility market high expectations, focusing on the reduction of carbon emissions.
About VEDECOM
L’Institut pour la Transition Énergétique (ITE) VEDECOM est une fondation partenariale publique-privée de l’Université de Versailles St Quentin dédiée aux mobilités innovantes et durables.
Il est missionné par l’État pour soutenir l’innovation technologique et les filières industrielles françaises engagées dans les mobilités du futur. Fondé sur une collaboration inédite d’une cinquantaine d’acteurs, dont une vingtaine de membres, il rassemble établissements académiques, collectivités territoriales et différents acteurs privés : automobile, transport public et mobilité, logistique, infrastructures de la route, télécommunications, énergie, aéronautique et défense, services numériques et simulation, assurance. Ce rôle central de tiers de confiance permet à ses membres d’accélérer ensemble l’innovation et le déploiement de nouvelles solutions.
A travers ses trois axes de R&D multidisciplinaire, l’électrification, le véhicule autonome et connecté et les nouvelles solutions de mobilité et d’énergie, VEDECOM apporte une vision systémique du véhicule, de son environnement et des utilisateurs.
Créé en 2014 dans le cadre du Programme Investir l’Avenir (PIA), l’Institut fait partie des 15 instituts de recherche rassemblés au sein de FIT, French Institutes of Technology. Il compte 100 collaborateurs pour un budget de 17M€ en 2021. VEDECOM a produit plus de 500 publications et 80 thèses, et formé plus de 2,500 personnes dans le cadre de son programme formation.
Press contact
Juliette Duault – juliette.duault@vedecom.fr – Tél. : 06 88 72 79 26
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Versailles, France, November 9, 2021
The Mobena project was launched in September 2021 for two years. It brings together players from all the electric mobility value chain in France. Its aims to support the e-mobility companies in ensuring a successful deployment of the new generation of electric vehicle charging solutions. These solutions will simplify the user experience and improve the quality of service.
Interoperable charging services
Plug and Charge and smart charging will be the first provided services. They require interactions between many players through various IT interfaces. These services must be clear, homogeneous, and interoperable to be easily adopted. Any vehicle must be able to charge with any charging infrastructure, relying on any service provider.
Mobena will particularly focus on integrating interoperability as an initial requirement and providing high value-added services through the massive adoption of the ISO 15118[1] standard in a competitive and open market.
[1] ISO 15118 standard defines communication and data transfers between the vehicle and the charging infrastructure.
20 mobility players engaged in Mobena
The Mobena project gathers 20 partners including 19 industrials. They represent all the mobility sector: Atos, Chargepoly, CRITT M2A, EDF, FEV France, GIREVE, Hager, IES Synergy, Legrand, Nexans, Renault, SAP Labs, Schneider-Electric, Stations-e, Stellantis, Thales, TotalEnergies, Valeo, VINCI Energies. The project is driven by VEDECOM.
- Research and innovation: VEDECOM
- OEM: Renault, Stellantis
- Technology Suppliers: Atos, GIREVE, Thales
- Operators: EDF, SAP Labs, Stations-e, TotalEnergies, VINCI Energies
- Test specialists: CRITT M2A, FEV France
- Charging Infrastructure: Chargepoly, Hager, IES Synergy, Legrand, Nexans Power Accessories France, Schneider Electric, Valeo
Mobena continues to welcome new industrial partners from the e-mobility ecosystem who wish to position themselves on Plug and Charge and smart charging and contribute to the offer structuring.
The project is also open to institutional partners. These partners will help to prepare for the harmonious arrival of offers on the French market and will promote the orientations resulting from the project.
Mobena is part of an initiative addressing next-generation charging systems. This action was launched in 2020 by an initiative committee comprising AFIREV, AVERE-France, GIMELEC, PFA, UFE and VEDECOM.
Supporting the deployment of plug and charge and smart charging
Joe Matta, Projet Manager, with Tony Jaux, Charman of VEDECOM Board, on Nov. 9, 2021, during the official Mobena Project Kick Of.
The Mobena project partners will implement the following actions, in a collaborative framework within working groups:
- Definition of a transition roadmap towards new generation charging solutions and use cases to be adopted, including Plug and Charge and smart charging.
- Creation of technical guidelines for the development, testing and deployment of products and services supporting the ISO 15118 standard, validated by a technical committee before publication.
- Identification and follow-up of pilot projects to test deliverables on the field.
- Establishment of a dissemination and lobbying unit. It will ensure the consistency and relevance of the choices made by Mobena in regard of other European initiatives and ecosystems. It will disseminate the project’s choices for wide adoption and carry the idea of having a replicable solution at European level.
The project will focus on system architectures (interactions between the vehicle, the charging station and the operators’ backend) including communication protocols, PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) and cybersecurity. The approach integrates the two types of recharging, AC and DC.
The main results of the project will constitute a common good which will be made public at the end of the main project milestones.
Harmonized actions at a European level
Consensus and unity within the industry are prior to ensure the successful deployment of Plug and Charge and smart charging in an interoperable manner at European level.
To achieve this goal, Mobena seeks to collaborate with European organizations for the development and adoption of a reference architecture, both from a technical and organizational point of view. Such an architecture will ensure the interoperability of systems and allow an open and competitive market between electromobility players. It will allow end users and operators to freely select their service providers.
VEDECOM has been appointed member of the Sustainable Transport Forum (STF) sub-group of the European Commission dedicated to governance and communication standards within the electromobility ecosystem. The results of this group will be integrated into European regulations as part of the Fit for 55, in particular the revised Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR). VEDECOM will carry the position developed jointly with the Mobena project partners.
VEDECOM and Mobena partners, who are also members of CharIN (association which promotes the European charging standard – CCS) actively contribute to the working groups led by CharIN to develop benchmarks and roadmaps consistent with the Mobena vision.
In addition, VEDECOM and Mobena project partners are involved in setting up technical demonstrations to assess interoperability approaches in the charging ecosystem. This collaboration is part of a long-term partnership between VEDECOM and the Dutch innovation center Elaad. The two organizations have successfully carried out various joint demonstrations since 2018 in the field of smart charging.
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Versailles, October 4, 2021
The French Institute for the Energy Transition VEDECOM, created in 2014 and dedicated to the future mobility, more ecological, autonomous and shared, appointed a new CEO: Eric Lebeau, from Renault group, succeeds Philippe Watteau. He will take up his functions on November 1, 2021.
As VP for Research & Advanced Engineering and Partnership & Public Funding Eric Lebeau was already a member of VEDECOM governing Board and actively involved in the Bureau since early 2020. The governing Board, chaired by Tony Jaux (from Stellantis and PFA – Plateforme Française de l’Automobile), selected his candidacy to succeed Philippe Watteau, CEO for the past three years, on September 10. Eric Lebeau will take office on November 1st..
About Eric Lebeau
An engineer graduated from the Ecole des Mines of Saint-Etienne, Eric Lebeau has gained solid experience in R&D management and in piloting development projects thanks to a very transversal career within the Renault Group. His career has enabled him to lead French and international teams towards the accomplishment of complex missions and projects, in all contexts relating to engineering: management of development projects, implementation of quality systems and tools and methods. engineering, R&D funding, strategic management.
Eric Lebeau accomplished the first part of his career in the field of information technology. Appointed as Chief Information Officer of the commercial vehicles engineering subsidiary (1,200 people), he also manages the document production service and contributes to the industrial start-up of several vehicles at Renault and partner sites. He then progresses to the direction of the vehicle development project. After a transition to Group engineering methods, he is entrusted with the management of high-end vehicle programs in the production-series phase, then the management of the “Smart fortwo 2015” project (gasoline and electric car for two persons), in a Renault – Daimler/Smart cooperation. He covers the entire development project : from the framing of the Product with the Marketing team, to the production of a vehicle combining economy, performance and quality.
He joins Group engineering management teams as VP Strategic PMO (Project Management Office), in charge of managing the portfolio of programs under development, orchestrating the synchronization of projects, the allocation of resources and means. He builds and deploys the Group Strategic Plan to increase efficiency and engineering capacities.
Finally, he turns towards the future of mobility as Director of Research and Advanced Engineering Partnerships and Public Funding. He covers all technological topics, in particular digitization, connectivity, autonomous vehicles, MaaS and electrification. He also represents the Renault Group at several French and European research institutes and associations such as EUCAR, ERTRAC in Europe, or the CNRS and ANRT in France. This function naturally leads him to support VEDECOM.
A renewed support to VEDECOM to meet new challenges
Despite a deep health and economic crisis, the Institute has mobilized to maintain a dynamic of innovation, with the reaffirmed support of industrialists, State, communities and academic partners.
Eric Lebeau said: “In a rapidly changing world of mobility, we need a systemic approach. An institute such as VEDECOM has a real role to play as the meeting point, the catalyst and trusted third party between the actors of different branches: automotive, energy, infrastructure, telecom, digital… I will pursue the consolidation of our ecosystem and extend collaborations on key R&D topics for the ecological transition, in order to put the team France and the team Europe a way ahead on carbon-free mobility of the future. “
VEDECOM is currently carrying out approximately thirty French and European collaborative R&D projects, including 13 projects half-funded by the PIA (Investir l’Avenir Program) via the French ANR (Agence Nationale de Recherche). It drives innovation through uses and technology and brings breakthrough innovations for electric motorization, new generation and contactless charging, 5G and connectivity, data, AI on and automated vehicle.
About VEDECOM
The VEDECOM Institute is a public-private partnership foundation for the Energy Transition (French ITE) dedicated to sustainable and innovative mobility, more ecologic, autonomous and shared. It is missioned by the French State to support technological innovation and French industry. Based on an unprecedented collaboration more than 50 players, it gathers academic establishments, local authorities and private actors involved in mobility evolution: automotive, transport and mobility, logistics, road infrastructure, telecommunications, energy, aeronautics and defence, digital services and simulation, insurance.
This trusted third-party central role helps its members to accelerate together innovation and the deployment of new solutions. Threw three multidisciplinary R&D axes – electrification, connected and automated vehicle, new mobility and energy solutions – VEDECOM brings a systemic vision of the vehicle, its environment and the deployment of new solutions. Created in 2014 as part of the “Investing in the Future Programme”. VEDECOM belongs to French Institutes of Technology association involving 15 research institutes and contributes to the “Self-driving Vehicle Plan” that forms part of the New Industrial France project (NFI). VEDECOM is attached to Paris Saclay University.
Press contact
Juliette Duault – juliette.duault@vedecom.fr – + 33 6 88 72 79 26
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VEDECOM a glance
Main R&D Projects in 2021
The NAVETTY pilot project is autonomous shuttle service locatedon a site representative of a real urban area. Launched in May 2021, it will switch to a service with no on-board operator in 2022.
A three-year demonstration called NAVETTY is starting on the ArianeGroup industrial French site in Les Mureaux (78), west of Paris.
The NAVETTY R&D project is supported by VEDECOM – R&D institute for energy transition in mobility-, ArianeGroup, Transdev Autonomous Transport Systems, EasyMile and the Yvelines County Council (CD78), which has strongly invested for make this project a success. The aim is to deploy a fully autonomous mobility service with no on-board operators, using electric and autonomous shuttles, on a site representative of an urban area.
The service will be distantly supervised via a supervision software from a local OCC , relying on connected road infrastructure. This step is a key and unique milestone in Europe. It will validate the technology and business model, which are critical to allow for the future deployment of a large-scale service that will start on Seine valley public roads.
Watch the presentation of Navetty project
The EZ10 Navetty autonomous shuttles are made by EasyMile ©ArianeGroup
Aerial view of ArianeGroup Les Mureaux site ©Mairie des Mureaux / Philippe Graindorge
NAVETTY will rely on five R&D axes. The first is the main issue of the project: after Versailles Satory’s open road experimentation with extended perception by autonomous shuttles including an on-board operator, the goal is to switch to a mode with no on-board operator and a distant supervision. The other four are: cybersecurity, operational safety of the mobility system, smart and connected infrastructures and acceptability of the ecosystem.
For this large-scale demonstrator, the choice of the ArianeGroup site in Les Mureaux west of Paris, which covers an area of 227 acres, is ideal as it brings together all the complex elements of an urban area: road and pedestrian traffic, roundabouts, intersections and parking lots. This environment lends itself perfectly to preparing future transition to an urban scale. This autonomous shuttle service has also been designed to meet the needs of ArianeGroup to improve access to its facilities.
Distant supervision: a core technology for the switch to full autonomy
A new technology has been required to implement a mobility service of autonomous vehicles both with no on-board operator and offering the required service quality and safety levels. This technology is a software called Autonomous Vehicles’ Supervision and is developed by Transdev Autonomous Transport Systems. It offers three main functions: fleet management, system monitoring and customer experience.
Within the OCC located on site, supervision operators from Transdev Ile-de-France will be present to supervise the service in real time.
Cybersecurity and the operational safety of the mobility system: prerequisites
Cybersecurity is a central focus for the research carried out in this project. The challenge is to guarantee the safety of the entire mobility system and prevent any malicious acts.
Indeed, current autonomous vehicles include on-board technologies dedicated to perception, supervision and trajectory decisions. These faculties are made possible by sensors, processing and computing units which must be totally secured for passenger transportation.
Autonomous management of roundabouts: a technical milestone
The connected and intelligent infrastructure, including roundabouts and crossroad management, is developed by VEDECOM. The project’s aim is to improve the efficiency of the shuttles while crossing a roundabout. The infrastructure will be able to analyze the activity of vehicles and users while entering and exiting the roundabout. It will also be able to transmit authorizations to the shuttles, in order to allow better management of the crossing, with fluidity and safely: authorization or prohibition to enter, proposal of an optimal trajectory.
Acceptability of the ecosystem: a key issue to validate the model
Acceptability is a key issue to maximize the success of this unprecedented autonomous mobility service. This work package, carried out by VEDECOM, will consider the opinions of end users but also players in the ecosystem whose actions may have a direct or indirect impact on the service’s progress.
Several use cases will be studied, from the ArianeGroup industrial site to train stations and the Les Mureaux Campus, within urban and suburban areas
In parallel to the R&D work, several use cases will be studied to prepare the deployment of autonomous shuttles in the Yvelines territory.
Use case 1: Fully autonomous shuttle service with no on-board operator, on an industrial site representative of an urban area.
The first use case is an autonomous shuttle transport service on the ArianeGroup site in Les Mureaux. This site specializes in project management and major civil and military space programs including the development Ariane 6.
The service will run for three years starting in 2021. The objective is to remove the on-board operator from 2022. This site’s surface area (50 buildings spread over 227 acres) and attendance (2,700 people) are comparable to those of an urban district, making it an ideal place of demonstration.
Use case 2: “Last mile” autonomous shuttle service connecting a train station to an industrial site.
Another route will be studied and experimented during the project, for a limited time, in cooperation with the Public Transport Authority. This route will connect Les Mureaux train station to the ArianeGroup site, which is just over a mile from the station.
Use cases 3 and 4: Autonomous mobility services in urban and suburban areas.
Two other routes will be studied to assess the feasibility conditions for setting up an autononomous shuttle service in urban and suburban areas. Use case 3 will be between Les Mureaux campus and Les Mureaux train station. Use case 4 will be between Clairières de Verneuil train station and the ArianeGroup site. The Les Mureaux campus, a hotspot for innovation in the Greater Paris region, attracts significant flows of people between the public transportation stations and the ArianeGroup site. In addition, the flow between Clairières de Verneuil station and the ArianeGroup site is particularly dense at rush hour with most journeys currently made by car.
NAVETTY, a partnership project in the French Yvelines territory, west of Paris
Yvelines territory, west of Paris, is the leading County in France for the automotive industry. The department Council has supported the VEDECOM R&D institute since its creation, through funding of €20 million for its programs dedicated to innovative mobility (including low-carbon mobility, and autonomous vehicles). Yvelines is the institute’s second public funder after the National Research Agency (ANR). With this demonstration, the Yvelines department confirms its support for the industrial redevelopment of the Grand Paris Seine & Oise area. It also strengthens its investment policy in mobility projects in the area (budget of €500 million dedicated to major public transportation projects including railways and road infrastructure). Beyond the technological aspect of the project, the Yvelines department also intends to support the blending of know-how between the space and automotive industries: ArianeGroup’s expertise in complex systems together with mobility players such as VEDECOM, Transdev Autonomous Transport Systems and EasyMile. Numerous companies in aeronautics, technology and automotive are located in the territory. Eventually, the aim is to strengthen the links between all of them.
“The Yvelines is a region of innovation and the launch of this experiment reasserts our desire to develop innovative and sustainable mobility in the department. I am very glad of this new impulse between industry and research. Being at the service of the Yvelines people, the NAVETTY project will prepare for a revolution in their daily life”, said Pierre Bedier, President of the Yvelines Council.
NAVETTY responds to VEDECOM‘s ambition to develop breakthrough technologies and a transversal vision of new uses, in cooperation with major industrial players and through concrete projects for the community. It devotes more than a third of its activity to R&D on autonomous and connected vehicles and another third to vehicle electrification. It has developed an interdisciplinary expertise in vehicle automation, as can be seen with a number of first scientific steps in France and in Europe, such as the first Level 4 autonomous vehicle demonstration in Europe on an open road (7 km) in Bordeaux in 2015, or the first demonstration of autonomous on-demand services with no driver, with customer interface and remote supervision, in the border area, in Strasbourg in 2017. As a result, it actively contributes to the French Strategy on Autonomous Vehicles. In November 2020, it launched, with its partners, the first global barometer on the acceptability of autonomous vehicles.
For Philippe Watteau, Chief Executive Officer, “this project supports a dual stake, both technological and social: accelerating the transition from applied research on electric and autonomous vehicles to operational implementation; provide real services to populations in remote areas where traditional transport costs are too high. VEDECOM will also fully play its role there: a role of public/private federator, and a support role for the economic development of French industries.”
Setting up of the NAVETTY project The project, led by VEDECOM, is supported and financed by four partners through a consortium agreement between VEDECOM, ArianeGroup, Transdev Autonomous Transport Systems and EasyMile. The Yvelines County is providing a major support of € 2.5 million to the project, making it the main funder.
ArianeGroup will host the experiment at Les Mureaux site, located in the Yvelines territory, to support the autonomous mobility research ecosystem, and to help answering mobility and carbon footprint issues. In addition to the first and last kilometres interconnection to train stations, the project should facilitate the smoothness of employee and visitor flows between buildings and reduce the use of individual vehicles on-site. The assessment of this pilot case will help studying a larger scale deployment at other ArianeGroup sites.
“Technological innovation and environmental responsibility are at the heart of ArianeGroup’s space expertise. As the European leader in access to space, we contribute daily to improving life on Earth, and it is therefore both a source of pride and an evidence to make our site available for this experiment”, explained Hugues Emont, director of the ArianeGroup Les Mureaux site.
Transdev Autonomous Transport Systems is an integrator of autonomous transport systems, including supervision, autonomous vehicles and connected infrastructure. Transdev Autonomous Transport Systems provides technological tools and engineering services to local operators and cities, for the day-to-day operation of large-scale autonomous mobility services. Thanks to Transdev Autonomous Transport Systems, Transdev is leader in the operation of autonomous mobility services, with more than 3.5 million people transported in shared autonomous vehicles around the world.
“This new project will allow us, together with our partners, to reach a significant new step in the development of autonomous mobility and the preparation of an efficient economic and social model. We are convinced of the central role of supervision to operate autonomous mobility services with no on-board operator, and we are proud to experience it soon on the ArianeGroup Les Mureaux site”, said Patricia Villoslada, Executive Vice-President of Transdev Autonomous Transport Systems.
With globally recognized experience in autonomous mobility solutions, EasyMile provides the shuttles necessary for the implementation of the project and the associated services. Since the very first day, EasyMile has been working to develop safe and efficient solutions to deploy autonomous Level 4 vehicles. The majority of the more than 300 deployments made by EasyMile with its EZ10 shuttle have been carried out on open roads, but local regulations around the world require the presence of a security on-board operator. Therefore, EasyMile is particularly interested in testing and improving the deployment and management of a fully driverless autonomous shuttle in a complex environment representative of an urban area.
“My vision for autonomous vehicles is that autonomous public transport is coming soon. It will arrive long before driverless cars and taxis. The relative simplicity of a transit service makes it ideal for autonomous technology,” says Gilbert Gagnaire, Founder and CEO of EasyMile. “Today, with this unique project, we are taking our technology to the next level. We will be able to experience a service with no on-board operator in a realistic environment, which paves the way to new mobility solutions for future, similar applications.”
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Watch the presentation of Navetty project
La Faculté de droit et de science politique d’Aix-Marseille Université lance la première formation diplômante
Avec la loi PACTE1, actuellement débattue au Parlement, et la Loi d’orientation des mobilités2, prévue pour début 2019, le déploiement des véhicules à conduite déléguée passe à la vitesse supérieure. La Faculté de droit et de science politique d’Aix-Marseille Université, avec la contribution de l’Institut VEDECOM, lance la première formation diplômante Aspects juridiques des véhicules autonomes. Qui est pénalement responsable en cas d’accident ? Qui assure les risques ? Qui indemnise les victimes ? Cette formation unique en son genre permet de répondre aux nombreuses questions juridiques que pose le développement des véhicules autonomes. L’objectif est de former des juristes et toute personne amenée à traiter des questions de responsabilités liées à l’utilisation des véhicules autonomes. A la clef pour les étudiants, un Certificat d’Etudes Supérieures Universitaires (CESU).
Des enseignements concrets et prospectifs
Grâce à une équipe composée de professeurs universitaires et d’experts VEDECOM, la formation permet d’acquérir un socle de connaissances techniques et juridiques essentielles pour le traitement des dossiers mettant en cause des véhicules autonomes, mais aussi les véhicules à conduite déléguée déjà existants. Destiné à des étudiants de niveau Master 1, en formation initiale ou continue, le cursus comprend 79 heures d’enseignement dispensées entre janvier et juin 2019, soit deux journées par mois, principalement à l’Institut des Assurances d’Aix-Marseille. Une journée de formation sur les pistes de l’UTAC à Montlhéry est également prévue. Les étudiants ont aussi l’opportunité de participer à un projet tutoré de résolution d’un procès du véhicule autonome. La résolution de ce procès sera présentée lors d’un colloque ouvert au public.
Se former pour se connecter aux réalités du véhicule autonome
Entendu comme le véhicule à conduite déléguée au sein duquel le conducteur transfère tout ou partie de la charge de conduite à un système, le véhicule autonome suscite de nombreuses interrogations. Si la route est encore longue avant le déploiement du véhicule du futur complètement autonome, le diplôme universitaire Aspects juridiques des véhicules autonomes a pour ambition de dresser un état de l’art du droit existant applicable à la délégation de conduite, des conditions d’expérimentation requises à l’établissement des responsabilités en cas d’accident. L’enjeu est de former les étudiants pour qu’ils développent un panel de compétences leur permettant par exemple de définir le véhicule autonome et les responsabilités civiles et pénales en cas d’accident, d’exposer les politiques publiques européennes et internationales ou encore de comprendre et négocier le contrat d’assurance automobile du véhicule équipé de fonction de délégation de conduite.
Favoriser l’interactivité pour maîtriser les nouvelles mobilités
Alors que les innovations technologiques et les nouveaux concepts de mobilité ne cessent de se multiplier, se former pour mieux en comprendre les enjeux et les usages devient une nécessité. Fort de sa structure collaborative et de ses partenariats, l’Institut VEDECOM propose des formations pédagogiques, ludiques et interactives pour se former aux nouvelles mobilités durables, efficientes et sûres. Ces formations portent une vision globale des mobilités dans les trois domaines d’expertise de l’institut : l’électrification des véhicules, la délégation de conduite et connectivité, la mobilité et l’énergie partagées. Grâce à des outils numériques et physiques, les apprenants expérimentent les nouvelles mobilités. Ils ont l’occasion de visiter des laboratoires de recherche, de tester le véhicule autonome. Ils ont aussi accès à des plateformes numériques pour approfondir leurs connaissances avec des méthodes ludiques et pédagogiques.
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