Via, autonomous vehicle co. demo 'PodZero' during Vegas event

On-demand transportation company, Via teamed up with UK-based autonomous vehicle manufacturer Aurrigo, to showcase the company's PodZero vehicle, for the first time together, at CES 2019 in Las Vegas.

"If autonomous vehicles are to reach their full potential for providing low-cost, efficient rides, they need to be shared by multiple passengers,” said Oren Shoval, co-founder and CTO of Via. “Via's sophisticated systems are able to power, in real-time, the movement of millions of connected autonomous shuttles and their passengers."

Via has provided more than 45 million dynamically-routed rides around the globe, and has applied this experience in shared mobility to AVs. CES attendees can experience Via’s AV technology by booking a PodZero ride using the Via app at the on-site visitor center. Via will seamlessly book and route the autonomous vehicles on-demand, provide customers with a vehicle location and ETA, and use its advanced augmented reality functionality for easy identification.

During the journey, visitors will be routed around a 1,500-foot “cityscape” track to New York, the UK, or Las Vegas, while interacting with voice-activated technology. In addition to rider-focused AV technology, Via will also demonstrate its AV driver technology, including key functionalities that intelligently select the fastest routes for each shuttle using real-time traffic data from multiple sources; direct shuttles to optimal pick-up locations to avoid detours; and accurately predict how demand patterns will unfold throughout the day and smartly position shuttles to anticipate that demand.