‘Future of Mobility’ to ride Route 66 Road Fest

The 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air and the Navya-produced Beep shuttle are illustrations of the decades of technology that will be featured at the AAA Route 66 Road Fest this month in Oklahoma Metropolis and Tulsa. (Courtesy photo/Beep and Mattamy Residences)

OKLAHOMA Metropolis – The mere mention of Route 66 evokes visions of classic vehicles cruising past historic motels with neon symptoms. But a celebration of the Mom Road this thirty day period also involves the transportation of tomorrow.

AAA Route 66 Road Fest starts June 18-19 at the Bennett Celebration Centre on the OKC Fairgrounds and concludes June 25-26 in Tulsa. The Route 66 Journey exhibit will begin with antique automobiles from the 1920s and keep on as a result of the era of autonomous cars and superior-tech drones.

“It will not only get visitors back again in time, showcasing the wealthy heritage of the Mother Highway, it will also contain countless numbers of sq. ft centered on the Potential of Mobility,” said AAA Oklahoma spokeswoman Leslie Gamble.

Readers can see Oklahoma State University’s prototype “carcopter” and drones capable of offering merchandise by means of aerial transportation. And they can get a experience on a Navya self-driving shuttle from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m. each working day.

“It’s genuinely a computer on wheels,” stated Lisa Kuehl, promoting supervisor for Navya. “It operates on a devoted route.”

The GPS mapping for the OKC Fairgrounds route was finished previously and the shuttle will follow on-web-site before taking passengers for a journey June 18-19, Kuehl mentioned.

Navya is a French enterprise that has 200 of the electric powered 11-passenger motor vehicles in use in 25 countries, such as a fleet of 8 running in the Lake Nona local community in Orlando, Florida.

Exploration exhibits 35 of the major builders worldwide are developing “modern towns,” Kuehl mentioned. These significant neighborhoods are a target consumer for Navya’s autonomous shuttles, alongside with downtowns, resorts, attractions, universities, and healthcare facility and industrial campuses.

The shuttle fills a specialized niche between auto and bus, she said.

“It’s a wonderful, cozy trip with major fishbowl home windows,” Kuehl mentioned. “A basic safety driver is there just to interact if wanted.”

If a deer crosses the programmed route, the shuttle will quit till the animal moves on. But if a box falls off a truck into the route, the safety driver need to get out and take away it before the shuttle can continue.

The autonomous shuttle conceived by Navya is an clever, powerful and cleanse mobility option, Kuehl explained.

“We’re trying to ease congestion and making an attempt to make roads safer,” she reported. “If just 4 people just take it, you have 4 significantly less drivers on the road.”

The organization has two 11-passenger variations – the 2nd involves far more know-how improvements – and a third car is in growth and expected to come out in 2024, she said.

Kuehl will discuss about how autonomous shuttles are solving transportation challenges all through a free of charge AAA educational forum, “Technology Normally takes the Wheel,” from 1 to 3 p.m. June 22 at the University of Tulsa.

Other speakers will be Marie-France Laurin, organization improvement director for Stantec GenerationAV, and James Grimsley, Oklahoma’s District 2 transportation commissioner and govt director of innovative technological innovation initiatives for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

The next weekend the Route 66 Journey show – like interactive reveals, artifacts, photos, trend and iconic makes – and driverless shuttle rides will be in at SageNet Centre at Tulsa’s Expo Sq..

Go to go to https://route66roadfest.com for much more information and tickets.