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.
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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.
