Germany’s Benteler Group – which is involved in, amongst other industries, steel, automotive, and engineering – has created a new brand, called Holon, and unveiled its debut effort at CES – an autonomous, fully electric people mover.

With the design coming from Pininfarina, the Holon Mover looks pretty good given its practical, boxy shape, and it is built to accommodate up to 15 people. It can, the company said, reach a top speed of 60km/h and has a range of 290km.

There are some features here that are designed to make the Holon Move accessible to everyone. For example, there are electric double-wing doors and an automatically extending ramp with lowering function. There’s automatic securing of wheelchairs inside the vehicle, and the Holon is designed to make information available both in Braille and via an audio-visual set-up to provide additional support for visually impaired people.

The self-driving function comes via Mobileye Drive technology and the Holon can can, the company says, achieve Level 4 autonomy.

The Holon Mover can, the company added, be used for on-demand services, such as ride pooling and ride hailing, but also normal scheduled services. Other applications for the vehicle include cargo transport and last-mile delivery as well as customer transport on campuses, at airports and other locations.

The first pilot project has already been announced with Holon teaming up with leading German transit company Hochbahn in Hamburg. Plans are afoot for the Mover to debut in the U.S. as well, with mobility provider Beep to take on the first vehicles there.

VIDEO: HOLON IMAGEFILM

Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (February 2023)

17 February 2023