Thailand’s ubiquitous tuk-tuk, the noisy, colourful three-wheeled taxi that has spewed exhaust fumes onto local roads for nearly a century, is getting a cutting-edge makeover that can help carry the local auto industry into the long run.
From November, a public-private partnership will test the country’s first autonomous tuk-tuk, searching for to push Thailand towards leading the event of 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 could be transferred to larger vehicles comparable to minibuses, Economic times reported.
Jirapat Janjerdsak, chief technology officer at Siri Ventures, said post office in Bangkok“We will likely see autonomous cars and drone air taxis as trends that disrupt lifestyles, increase safety and convenience, and improve the nation’s transportation industry.”
Most of the autonomous vehicle development in Asia comes from Chinese and Japanese corporations – comparable to Baidu Inc., Pony.ai and Toyota Motor Corp. – that spend billions of dollars on software development, partnerships and road testing.
Southeast Asia doesn’t have an area leader, so Thailand sees this technology as a solution to strengthen and maintain the vital position of the automotive industry, which generates 12% 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-wheeler is more energy-efficient than a automotive, 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 Aerowr.
But this is not the same old 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.
“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 information with the intention of expanding this system to incorporate next-generation autonomous vehicles – 15-seat minibuses that Ekkarut calls “shuttles.” They shall be produced by the federal government and an area automotive manufacturer.
They could also be ready for service as early as 2021.
