Say hello to Project Vector, Jaguar Land
Rover’s new self-driving concept that’s part of the company’s Destination Zero
mission. What’s Destination Zero, you ask? JLR describes it as the drive for “a
future of zero emissions, zero accidents and zero congestion – through its
products, services and across its facilities.” Project Vector will play a role
in achieving that, as it’s an ‘autonomy-ready’ platform for future smart city
infrastructures, designed to deliver services for private and shared mobility
needs.
Project Vector looks
unlike any other product from the Jaguar and Land Rover lineups and that’s
because it’s from a different breed. JLR’s vision of an autonomous, electric,
connected future for urban mobility is said to offer “unparalleled interior
space and flexibility in vehicle configuration.”
Measuring just four meters in length, Project Vector is a compact, flexible, multi-use EV designed for the
city. It packages all its battery and drivetrain components into a flat floor,
thus enabling a variety of uses. The roomy cabin allows various seating
configurations: for private and shared use, as well as last-mile delivery
vehicle.
JLR intends to collaborate with Coventry
City Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority to plan a mobility
service from late 2021. That’s when Project Vector will start a pilot program
as a living laboratory for future mobility on the streets of Coventry.
