Navya finalist in Dubai RTA World Challenge 2023

Villeurbanne, France, November, 9th, 2022 – 7:30 am CET – NAVYA (FR0013018041- Navya), an autonomous mobility systems leader, has qualified for the finals of the Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport 2023, organized by the Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai. Navya won two out of the three of the prizes awarded at the 2019 Challenge and is shortlisted for the 2023 edition which focuses on self-driving buses.

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, the Challenge is an international competition open to players in the field of the autonomous transportation of people, which reflects the RTA’s commitment to accelerating innovation and transforming mobility. The aim of the Dubai government’s Vision 2030 is for 25% of all travel to be smart and driverless over the whole of the territory of Dubai by 2030.

This ambition is backed up by $2 million in funding, which will be distributed among the industry leaders that are awarded prizes, the aim of the competition being to devise a solution whereby the public can be transported in a safe and secure manner in self-driving buses. Each proposal will be evaluated according to four criteria: “Safety & Security”, “Passenger Transport Performance”, “Operational Design Domain” and “Operational Capabilities”.

Navya and its partner Bluebus will be entering their IT3 autonomous Bluebus, which is 6 meters long and capable of transporting 36 passengers. The next stage of the competition will be the technical presentation to RTA’s experts and testing in real-life conditions in Dubai during the summer of 2030. This will represent a major step in the launch of the Autonom^® Bluebus in the Middle East.

The winners of each category will be announced during the Dubai World Congress which will take place on September 26^th and 27^th, 2023, with the aim of raising the public’s and the transportation industry’s awareness of innovative, self-driving solutions and evaluating the impact of the technology on investment and public transportation strategies.

« We are proud of our collaboration with Navya and the fantastic 6 meter Autonom^® Bluebus we have produced together! It has a record-breaking range of over 200 km and is equipped with solid state batteries which we rolled out in 2011 and are still improving. Over and above their safety level and their performance over time – we offer one of the longest guarantees in the sector – our batteries are particularly well suited to hot climates, owing to their wide operating temperature range. There’s no need for elaborate cooling as in the traditional Li-ion batteries. In fact, there’s no need for cooling at all, which is yet another advantage of the Autonom^® Bluebus !. »

Richard Bouveret, chairman of Bluebus

« The Dubai World Challenge is a perfect reflection of the evolution of market needs worldwide. Navya was among the winners of the 2019 edition, which focused on the first and last mile, and we will be back for the 2023 edition, where the focus will be on self-driving buses. Criteria taken into account are higher speed, increased passenger numbers, safety, security and performance which Navya has precisely focused its efforts this year. With our Autonom^® Bluebus we are helping to build the future of mobility across the world in response to the expectations of our customers.»

Sophie Desormière, CEO OF Navya

About Bluebus

Founded in 2007 in Ergué-Gabéric (Brittany), Bluebus, a Bolloré Group company, is a French manufacturer of 100% electric buses, available in 6-meter and 12-meter versions. These buses are equipped with all-solid batteries produced by Blue Solutions. The Bluebus and Blue Solutions production sites are ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified and have the Origine France Garantie label.

The Bluebus range offers zero-emission technology and a silent solution that meets the demand of local authorities and transport operators for clean and sustainable mobility. Today, more than 450 Bluebus electric buses are in operation worldwide.

About NAVYA

NAVYA is a leading French company that specializes in the supply of autonomous mobility systems and related services. It was founded in 2014 and has a total of 280 employees in France (Paris and Lyon), in the United States (Michigan) and in Singapore. NAVYA’s aim is to become the benchmark provider of level 4 autonomous mobility systems for the transportation of people and goods. The company achieved a world first when it launched its Autonom^® Shuttle for passengers in 2015. Since that year and up until 31 December 2021, more than 200 vehicles were sold in 25 countries. In 2021 Navya launched its industry equivalent, the Autonom^® Tract, a tractor for the transportation of goods. The company is firmly and actively committed to CSR, and it was awarded the ISO 9001 certification in September 2021. The Valeo and Keolis groups count among Navya’s historical shareholders.

NAVYA is listed on the Euronext regulated market in Paris (ISIN code: FR0013018041- Navya).

For further information, visit our website: https://navya.tech/fr

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