JLR unwraps its first autonomous shuttle bus

Jaguar Land Rover has teamed up with the NAIC engineering team of Warwick University to design the Project Vector, a single-space, self-driving EV meant for taxi, delivery and ride sharing applications.

The car has most of its tech at the bottom, including not just the entire traction battery, but also the engine and the electric system. Unofficial sources report that the battery holds between 60 and 90 kilowatt-hours, which gives between 155 and 186 miles of range (250 and 300 kilometers, respectively).

Despite the presence of the autopilot tech, the driver’s cockpit is still there, complete with the steering wheel, the dashboard and the pedals. The companies claim that this was only necessary in order to make the model street-legal in Great Britain.

The first road tests of the new EV won’t begin until late 2021, and JLR says the Project Vector will go driverless most of the time.