Holon, a new brand from the Benteler Group, presented its autonomous, fully electric and inclusive “people mover” at CES 2023. The company says the vehicle operates autonomously and with a maximum speed of 60 km/h (37 mph). It has a range of about 290 kilometers (180 miles).
Areas of application for the mover are on-demand services, such as ride pooling and ride-hailing, as well as normal scheduled services. The first pilot project is in Germany with Hamburg’s Hochbahn, the country’s second-largest mass transit company. In the U.S., the mobility provider Beep will be responsible for implementing the first vehicles.
The SAE Level 4 mover is based on Mobileye Drive, a commercial self-driving system. The company says the scalability of the Holon mover is ensured by a triad of features that help the vehicle make the right decisions on the road: an advanced sensing system that makes use of different redundant sensors, mapping technology, as well as a formal model for driving policy.
The mover is completely electrically driven, and over-the-air updates ensure that the vehicle is always kept up to date without the need for shop visits, Holon says.
The vehicle has been designed for up to 15 passengers. Electric double-wing doors with photo-electric sensors and an automatically extending ramp with a lowering function are included as standard for barrier-free access. The vehicle includes the automatic securing of wheelchairs, as well as information in Braille and an audiovisual guide.
Production of the Holon mover is scheduled to start in the U.S. at the end of 2025, with additional production capacity to be built in Europe and the Middle East/Asia in the following years.
