Renault EZ-Pod, a bet on autonomous mobility in cities

The smallest and most recent member of the family of autonomous concepts from Renault has arrived. It is called Renault EZ-Pod and is a small electric-powered robot-vehicle designed to carry people and goods over short distances. The new Renault EZ-Pod is built on the chassis of a Renault Twizy and occupies just three square metres of space.

The engineers and designers, with the choice of the Renault Twizy chassis, faced the challenge of creating a compact design that eliminated the driver’s cabin and incorporated autonomous technology

The new Renault EZ-Pod is inspired by the design of the Renault EZ-Go concept and by the modular platform of the EZ-Pro studio. The tall, narrow shape was dictated by the need for a small parking footprint and a spacious interior. This was achieved thanks to a battery size that has been “reduced to the absolute minimum for short urban trips”. However, Renault has not revealed the range the vehicle will offer.

Although the Renault EZ-Pod is designed to transport people, it can also be converted into a goods-delivery version. The passenger version has a large side opening for quick and easy access. There is no glass covering the opening, as there is on the Renault Twizy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=36&v=YCzrqik1dLE

Renault EZ-Pod, inspired by the Renault Twizy

The interior of the new model from the diamond-badged brand is also inspired by the Renault Twizy, as it uses the same seats but in a face-to-face arrangement. The French brand says the smooth, colourful interior is designed to be durable and easy to clean. It features materials such as structured plastics and recycled fabric for the carpet. The cabin also includes two screens that provide trip information and a lighting system that reproduces “welcome” and “goodbye” ambiences and gives status updates on the Renault EZ-Pod.

On the outside, the small autonomous device is equipped with a camera and a LiDAR sensor at the front, which scans the scene, plus short- and long-range radars located behind the glossy black front and rear edges of the model. The Renault EZ-Pod is also equipped with two antennas and a GPS unit on the roof for position tracking and real-time connectivity.

Renault has stated that there are many possible applications for the new Renault EZ-Pod, including use as a shuttle service between predefined routes or as a transport solution within pedestrian areas such as airports, car parks and shopping centres. The autonomous driving capsule could also be used to drop people with reduced mobility at the entrance of buildings and houses. Another use is as a follower capsule for a “follow-me” delivery application.

Frederic Auzas, Head of the Robo-vehicles programme at the Renault group, has explained that “if we can adapt the autonomous vehicles of the future to our current needs, for example as passenger cars, it is certain that these innovative devices will generate new uses and applications that will emerge as the experiments progress”.