Mercedes-Benz Shows Off Vision Urbanetic Autonomous Transporter At CES 2019

• Mercedes-Benz Vision Urbanetic is designed to be highly interactive, makes it more than an appliance.
• The Urbanetic can be easily converted from 12-seat people mover to a cargo carrier.
• All-electric propulsion means it can be used in cities with vehicular restrictions, while cargo can be delivered at night without bothering residents.

The Mercedes-Benz Vision Urbanetic concept has made its US show debut at CES 2019. The autonomous mobility solution was first shown to the world at Copenhagen back in September 2018. It imagines an intelligent transport solution targeted at making urban areas more liveable, with autonomous modular vehicles replacing both cars and goods carriers.

The autonomous vehicle uses a skateboard-like all-electric platform which has a fixed fascia but can be fitted with either a 12-seat fully-covered cabin or a suitcase-like luggage module which can fit up to 10 EPAL (European Pallet Association) pallets.

In all modes, the Urbanetic has multiple ways to interact with people around it to make it feel more than just an appliance. Mercedes calls this ‘establishing trust through active communication with the environment’. Cameras and sensors allow the Vision Urbanetic to detect people. A large high-quality display at the front lets it interact with them, thus helping them make quick and easy decisions - like in situations where it approaches a pedestrian. Inside, the passenger-mover version of the Vision Urbanetic uses huge interior panels that double up as infotainment screens or to interact with the passengers.

Being compact, yet spacious, the Urbanetic can be used as a public transport alternative without making too many changes to the existing infrastructure. Using artificial intelligence, the autonomous fleet of vehicles can be directed to busy areas to prevent traffic jams. The system learns usage patterns on the go, using the vehicle in a more energy-efficient manner.

All-electric propulsion and autonomous driving capabilities make the Vision Urbanetic perfect for urban usage, especially in older cities with vehicular restrictions to keep a check on noise and air pollution. The near-silent electric drivetrain also means that these can be used to deliver large goods through residential neighbourhoods at night, reducing energy usage without disturbing residents.

Mercedes-Benz has not stated how cost-effective the system will be to implement in existing cities, but we suspect we won’t see one rolling down the streets of an Indian city any time soon.