Automated (driverless) cars are fast-becoming the hot topic in the automotive industry with almost every major manufacturer investing some amount of money into the technology.
While it could revolutionise the car industry cities are looking even further ahead, to a time when cars will be replaced altogether.
One city in India is doing just that, by investing in a network of driverless taxi pods which will carry up to 30,000 people every single day.
Gurgaon, a suburb of New Delhi will be getting the driverless pods in an attempt to try and ease the already crippling traffic that plagues the area every single morning and evening.
It should come as no surprise then that the area is home to the Indian headquarters of Google, Apple and Microsoft.
It’s not yet known what form the pods will take but we do know that the average speed of each pod is around 60km per hour and can carry up to six passengers.
Costing some $126 million the hope is that at full capacity the pods will be able to drastically reduce the congestion and commute times for those people travelling to work in the suburb.
siteThis is certainly not the first time that a city or national government has invested in the technology.
Heathrow Airport already has a network of driverless pods which help move travellers from the airport’s many car packs to the correct terminal.
Masdar City business park in the UAE also has a similar setup while larger networks are being planned for Singapore.
These are all pods which travel on dedicated tracks, either through maglev technology or via electric motors.
There is also a pilot programme in Greenwich which is testing the idea of road-going driverless pods.