SberAutoTech, a Sber ecosystem company, has revealed a prototype of a fully autonomous electric vehicle for future mobility. Called FLIP, the brand new and fully self-driving vehicle provides fast, safe, and comfortable movement of passengers using the latest cutting-edge IT and automotive technologies.
Designed as a fully autonomous vehicle, FLIP has no traditional control panels and is capable of carrying six persons with maximum comfort.
The highest possible level of FLIP driving automation is based on SberAutoTech’s self-driving technology, using a combination of LiDARs, radars, and cameras to assess the surrounding situation. With the help of these sensors, the transport receives information about the surrounding objects, recognizes pedestrians and obstacles, and also makes decisions about acceleration, braking, and turning. Additionally, FLIP supports both V2V and V2X, so it is ready to interact with other FLIPs and the road infrastructure.
The FLIP design is based on an electric platform driven by an electric motor powered by a replaceable battery module. The key differentiating know-how is that fast-swappable batteries can be replaced in no more than five minutes, which is comparable to refueling with traditional fuel in a standard car. Moreover, FLIP is designed to be powered by both electricity and other alternative fuels like natural gas and hydrogen.
The overall dimensions of the model are similar to those of conventional passenger cars – the length is 3.62 meters, and the width is 1.95 meters. Due to the absence of the space-consuming elements typical for cars with internal combustion engines, the space in the cabin is 40% larger.
The FLIP is designed for new mobility scenarios. The fully connected, autonomous, and safe taxi of the future is available via a user app. Trip safety and customization are achieved with passenger face recognition and user-friendly communication with a virtual assistant named Salute.
At the moment, SberAutoTech is conducting development tests of the prototype in full compliance with the current legislation for completely unmanned vehicles – only in closed areas. In the near future, FLIP will be presented to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum participants on June 2-5.
