Pininfarina published a teaser of a new autonomous shuttle by Holon, set to be unveiled on January 5 at the 2023 CES in Las Vegas. Holon which is the new name of the Benteler EV entity, describes the vehicle as “the world’s first autonomous mover that meets automotive standards”. Pininfarina said that Holon’s project will prove that “emission-free, safe, comfortable and inclusive passenger transportation” is possible.
The shadowy teaser shows a boxy bus-like
silhouette with flat edges, round headlights, large glass areas, small diameter
wheels, and plastic wheel arch extensions. We increased the brightness of the
image revealing what appears to be ADAS sensors, glass sliding doors, and
different patterns on the windows. Interestingly the vehicle looks very
different than earlier renderings and sketches of an autonomous shuttle by
Benteler EV in collaboration with Intel’s Mobileye and mobility provider Beep.
The evolved version looks a lot more modern and refined, supposedly thanks to
Pininfarina’s involvement.
According to the announcement, Pininfarina
undertook the design, Holon is responsible for development and production,
Mobileye provided the self-driving system, while Beep offers technologies
around mobility services. Besides last-mile delivery and public transport
companies, target customers for the autonomous shuttle include municipalities,
university campuses, airports, national parks, etc.
The companies originally planned to launch
their autonomous shuttle service in 2024, but the goal has been revised as the
updated shuttles will go into production in the US starting in 2025.
