Thailand’s ubiquitous tuk-tuk, the noisy, colourful three-wheeled taxi that has been spewing exhaust fumes onto local roads for nearly a century, is getting a cutting-edge makeover that is predicted to assist the local auto industry in the longer term.
From November, a public-private partnership will test the country’s first autonomous tuk-tuk in an try and put Thailand on the forefront of developing autonomous vehicle technology in Southeast Asia.
Startup Airovr, investor Siri Ventures and the Thai government will conduct a multi-month trial in a gated community in Bangkok, hoping that what they learn might be transferred to larger vehicles corresponding to minibuses.
Most of Asia’s autonomous vehicle development comes from Chinese and Japanese corporations – corresponding to Baidu Inc, Pony.ai and Toyota Motor Corp – that are spending billions of dollars on software development, partnerships and road testing.
Southeast Asia lacks a neighborhood leader, so Thailand sees the technology as a approach to strengthen and maintain the vital position of its auto industry, which accounts for 12 percent of gross domestic product.
“The program can build confidence among regulators and users that these vehicles can be used on public roads,” said Ekkarut Viyanit, principal investigator of the federal government’s National Agency for Science and Technology Development. “This will accelerate the acceptance of the technology in Thailand.”
A tuk-tuk was chosen because the test vehicle since the three-wheeled vehicle is more energy efficient than a automobile, requires fewer parts, is cheaper and is healthier suited to the country’s hot weather, said Amares Chumsai Na Ayudhya, founding father of Bangkok-based Airovr.
But this is not the standard decorative tricycle you see on the chaotic streets of Bangkok and other tourist hotspots in Thailand. The Airovr model is characterised by a minimalist design, with screens showing the speed and amount of electricity within the tank. The 3D mapping system on the roof resembles police sirens, and the inside has steering wheels so the tester can take control if essential.
Because city streets could also be too difficult for early-stage AVs, the tests can be conducted in a gated community of 10,000 people owned by Siri Ventures’ parent company, developer Sansiri pcl.
But that doesn’t suggest that taking a tuk-tuk can be easy. The test area covers roughly eight hectares and includes eight residential towers, a shopping center, a dental hospital and a college. Cars, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians move through the streets.
“Tuk-tuk will enable us to collect data in a real-world, mixed-traffic environment,” said Jirapat Janjerdsak, chief technology officer at Siri Ventures. “After thousands of trips, we can analyze all the feedback and information to scale up the project for larger vehicles.”
The process may take as much as six months. Developers will analyze the info with the intention of expanding this system to incorporate next-generation autonomous vehicles – 15-seat minibuses that Ekkarut calls “shuttles.” They can be produced by the federal government and a neighborhood automobile manufacturer. They could also be ready for service as early as 2021.
The final result may resemble a driverless shuttle plying New York’s Brooklyn Navy Yard, with four-passenger vehicles traveling between the doorway and the brand new ferry dock.
In Detroit, startup May Mobility Inc operates a small fleet of six-seat robots that ferry staff from the parking zone to their office. Thailand is already a automobile manufacturing center in Southeast Asia, producing nearly 2.2 million vehicles last 12 months, and the federal government is searching for to extend investment in electric vehicles and AVs as the worldwide industry moves on this direction.
Thailand was the primary country within the region to supply incentives to electric vehicle makers and reduce sales taxes on their cars. Autonomous vehicles can be built on electric platforms, and autonomous technology will complement the competitiveness of electrical vehicles, said Yossapong Laoonual, president of the Thai Electric Vehicle Association.
With total global sales of autonomous cars expected to succeed in 21 million units by 2035, the country could grow to be a producing hub within the region, based on IHS Markit. “We’re not starting from scratch,” Amares said. “We already have an auto industry with big companies and a talent pool, and that’s an advantageous position.”
But moving this technology out of the gates won’t be easy. Like many countries, Thailand doesn’t have many regulations governing the usage of autonomous vehicles on public roads.
The KPMG index measuring countries’ level of readiness for autonomous vehicles this 12 months doesn’t include Thailand in the highest 25. Singapore ranks second, Japan tenth, South Korea thirteenth and China twentieth.
The national development agency is working with at the very least six other agencies, including the Department of Land Transport and the Department of Highways, to develop plans for Thailand’s roads. Ekkarut said the earliest Thailand could see AVs on public roads could be 2024.
The first users are expected to be operators of public fleets and passenger transport services. GrabTaxi Holdings Pte Ltd, a significant ride-sharing service provider in Thailand, plans to place robotic taxis on the road before 2022.
The service will likely be launched in Singapore, where the corporate is headquartered. According to BloombergNEF, there are currently about 1,000 test robot taxis on roads world wide, but this fleet could grow to 27 million vehicles by 2040. Sansiri’s goal is to develop autonomous shuttle buses that may transport community residents between home and the closest shopping mall or train station.
The program can then be expanded to cover all of Bangkok and other cities. “We are now starting to prepare for technology that will change the way we cover the last mile,” Jirapat said. “We hope to soon be part of the small force that makes this possible in Thailand.” BLOOMBERG
