Self-driving cars will be used to provide transportation services for athletes during the 30th South East Asian (SEA) Games which will be held at the New Clark City in the Philippines from November 30 to December 11, 2019.
The high technology vehicles will service the gathering of the world’s champion athletes at the biennial athletics meet for Southeast Asian nations.
Three electric Coast P-1 shuttles, made by US-based mobility company COAST Autonomous, will arrive in the Philippines by mid-October and will undergo pilot testing at no cost to the Philippine government, according to the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).
The 20-seater low speed autonomous or “self-driving” vehicles will be used to transport athletes to and from the Athlete’s Village, the Athletics Stadium, and the Aquatics Center.
Game spectators can also utilize the shuttle services to go back and forth the venues of the sporting events which will be mostly held in New Clark City.
The self-driving vehicles are equipped with high-definition 3D mapping machines for the shuttles’ route. COAST Autonomous Chairman and CEO David Hickey stated that the vehicles can be the backbone of a new, clean, and more efficient streetcar system.
“It is a great honor to partner with BCDA and the Philippines to deploy a fleet of [shuttles] to New Clark City for the SEA Games and we are grateful for this incredible opportunity. The SEA Games is the perfect event and New Clark City, the ideal location to showcase the future of urban transportation,” Hickey said.
Beyond the SEA Games 2019, BCDA President and CEO Vince Dizon said that, “As the first smart and green city in the Philippines, New Clark City will adopt sustainable alternative modes of transportation that may eventually reduce people’s dependence on cars.”
The arrival of the high tech transport service is in line with the completion of SEA Games 2019 facilities which is 85% complete as reported in July.
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