Renault Group will launch a Level 4 autonomous vehicle service for public transportation soon.

Renault, in collaboration with WeRide, as a premium partner of the tennis tournament, is introducing a trial of electric and autonomous shuttles to ease access to the Roland-Garros stadium, showcasing the advancements in automated public transport services.

Boulogne-Billancourt, – Renault Group will showcase its autonomous public transport vehicle this month. This group is developing an electric, robotized, and pre-equipped miniBus platform that will host various automation solutions from specialist partners.

Renault Group's autonomous vehicle experiments are reaching new milestones. They've teamed up with WeRide to demonstrate public transportation in real- conditions at the Roland-Garros 2024 tennis tournament.

Renault Group's autonomous vehicle strategy

There's an international consensus around 6 levels of "automated and autonomous driving," from L0 with no driving assistance to L5, where vehicles are fully autonomous in all situations, without any on-board operator.

Renault Group is prioritizing L2 or even L2+ levels for individual vehicles, offering top-level driving assistance features like contextual cruise control and lane-keeping assist. These technologies enhance safety and driving confidence, with upcoming features like automatic overtaking. Although assisted, the driver remains responsible for driving.

There is a significant technological complexity gap between level L2 automation and level L3 autonomy, because the vehicle must be able to operate safely in complex environments with limited driver supervision. At this stage, the induced cost to be borne by customers, in relation to the driving benefits, would make demand insufficient or even anecdotal.

Autonomous minibus: vital for Public transport

In Europe, more than 400 major cities will gradually become low emission zones, while still having to ensure the mobility of their populations.

Renault Group is committed to autonomous public transport and offers the robotized electric minibus platform based on the New Renault Master, able to integrate automation solutions from specialist partners such as EasyMile, Milla, and WeRide.

Renault Group partners with WeRide for large-scale deployment of L4 autonomous vehicles, capable of independent driving within defined domains, supervised remotely, without onboard operators.

In 2018, Alliance Ventures invested in WeRide, a startup celebrating its first year, foreseeing the growing demand for collective autonomous mobility. Today, WeRide is a global leader with over 700 autonomous vehicles, including 300 minibuses, covering 28 million kilometers across Asia, the Middle East, and North America, poised to enter Europe with Renault Group.