Specifications of a small electric vehicle: modular and distributed approach

We describe a small electric vehicle equipped with automation that allows autonomous motion. A fleet of such vehicles could be one element of a novel urban transportation system for door-to-door displacement in closed areas (city centers but also tourist resorts, campuses, ...) if they are used in self-service and car-sharing mode. The specifications in the matter of performances or energy storage agree with this application within this kind of evolution space (several short trips at low speed). A stylish look and an original electro-mechanical structure with four steering and driving wheels were adopted. As the vehicle is open to different users not having necessarily a driving-license, the vehicle must be friendly, easy to handle and secure not only for the driver but also for the pedestrians walking in the same area (computer aided driving). The driver must be free of parking or batteries re-charging problems. The progress of electronics and robotics allow us to envisage that these maneuvers could run automatically without human intervention. We have designed a modular and distributed hardware architecture with intelligent components (actuators and sensors) linked together by a field bus. Several solutions for the implementation of our software control architecture are examined.