National Electric Vehicle Sweden, or NEVS
as it’s better known to Saab enthusiasts, presents its new mobility ecosystem
called PONS. The name designates the first generation of NEVS autonomous
vehicles with a connected user interface, which the company believes could
become the mobility solution for smart and sustainable cities.
According to NEVS, owned by China’s
Evergrande Group, there are currently 1.3 billion cars in the world but they
are used only five percent of the time. The company believes cars should be
used more efficiently and the way to do that is via the widespread adoption of
autonomous vehicles.
At the center of NEVS’ PONS ecosystem lies
the Sango self-driving vehicle, which is ready to be integrated with any of the
self-driving software systems available. For the Sweden launch, NEVS has
partnered with AutoX, a leading L4 autonomous driving technology company based
in Silicon Valley and Shenzhen which will supply its AI Driver.
To be fit for shared use, Sango features a
flexible interior which meets differing travel needs with three settings –
private, social and family. Depending on the selected setting, up to six people
can travel in the vehicle.
Sango has six movable seats arranged on
three rows and is fitted with privacy walls that can be raised and lowered.
When raised, the cabin is divided into four smaller areas for private journeys
for up to four people. The social setting lowers the dividing walls to allow
four people to travel together facing each other. In family setting, up to six
people seated in three rows, can travel comfortably together.
Besides the Sango vehicle, the PONS
mobility system also includes a user interface in the form of an app and a
fleet management system to monitor and optimize the fleet of vehicles operating
throughout the city. The next step for the Sango self-driving vehicle is a
pilot program in Stockholm where a fleet of around ten robotaxis will be used
by the public. The first Sango prototype is currently being test-driven at the
NEVS’ site in Trollhättan together with functional tests of the PONS mobility
ecosystem.
