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III of Taiwan and MIT of USA Introduce Autonomous PEV at TAF Innovation Center

2016/01/14 | By Quincy Liang

A new type of urban commuting or transportation vehicle was publicized recently in Taiwan by the island's Institute for Information Industry (III) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) of the U.S.

The new vehicle, dubbed Persuasive Electric Vehicle (PEV), takes the form of an electric tricycle with a roof that protects a rider in foul weather, and will undergo trials for about one year in Taiwan. The PEV is likely to be regarded by some consumers to be another promising, urban commuting vehicle for traffic-congested cities on the island, like the YouBike in Taipei, reportedly one of the world's most successful public bicycle sharing programs to date, but with advantages as weather protection and green power. 

The Persuasive Electric Vehicle, a joint project between MIT Media Labs and Taiwan's III. (photo from UDN)
The Persuasive Electric Vehicle, a joint project between MIT Media Labs and Taiwan's III. (photo from UDN)

As the PEV is expected to be mass produced by Taiwanese makers in the future, the demonstration of the driverless e-tricycle also saw attendance by government officials, including Premier Mao Chi-Kuo, Deputy Economics Minster Shen Jong-chin, Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) Director General Wu Ming-ji, etc. During his speech, Mao said that the PEV is a "MIT-Squared" joint effort or one that aims to tap the multiplier effect between MIT of Massachusetts and MIT or Made-in- Taiwan, which was green-flagged by Kent Larson, director of the Changing Place group at MIT's Media Lab.

IDB officials say that the PEV was created under the partnership of III and MIT, with a major portion of the e-tricycle having been produced by Taiwanese companies. Besides Michael Lin, research assistant at the MIT Media Labs and a Ph.D. candidate at MIT, being from Taiwan, the officials quipped, about 90 percent of the e-tricycle's frame and key parts such as the radar, cameras are also supplied by Taiwanese makers.

IDB's Director General Wu said that the PEV is just a conceptual prototype that can be developed into electric bicycle, tricycle, or motorcycle. In the future, he conceded, both the vehicle and related business models will be studied, though it will still take some time before mass production happens to form a supply chain on the island.

III officials pointed out that the PEV is a big step forward for Taiwan in Internet of Vehicles (IoV) development. Through the use of sensor technology and cloud data processing, a moving vehicle will be able to react, aided by sensors and cloud data processing, to nearby cars and according to information on road conditions as well as provide customized, precise services.

Testing in Taipei

According to the IDB, the PEV will be tested at the Taiwan Air Force (TAF) Innovation Base in downtown Taipei. The trials will involve integrating city-traffic information to accumulate valuable references and data, which will be used to form a framework upon which to build the most suitable transportation mode for the PEV in Taipei, capital of Taiwan. The enclosed TAF Innovation Base is perfect for testing the PEV, said Lin, as the vehicle will be allowed to move within a closed circuit, to learn the bike lanes and the surroundings to enable picking up data to learn to move without driver. 

Michael Lin (left), Taiwanese research assistant at MIT Media Labs and core proponent of the PEV project. (photo from UDN)
Michael Lin (left), Taiwanese research assistant at MIT Media Labs and core proponent of the PEV project. (photo from UDN)

Except the vehicle frame, Lin said, all the other parts of the PEV was developed and made in Taiwan. In the past two years, the PEV project cost total investment of about US$2 million, and by the end of 2016, about 50 PEVs will be produced and transferred to MIT and five cities in Taiwan, Singapore, Germany, and the U.S. for road tests and data collection.

The PEV

Essentially, the PEV combines three factors that research scientists Larson and Lin think the new generation of urban vehicles need: capacity to share, electric powertrain, and autonomous drive. The vehicle is designed to autonomously travel to a given point to pick up a passenger and then travel on bicycle lanes. A PEV rider has the options to either pedal the vehicle or rely on the electric motor. The vehicle is also suitable for couriers or package delivery, with a roof that conveniently protects a rider and merchandise, which is especially desirable in tropical and sub-tropical locales as Taipei and Singapore where downpours happen suddenly and damp, chilly weather occur frequently in winter.  

This PEV has radar detection and camera / GPS orientation, also being capable of carrying passengers or cargo. Riders can just use the App "Spike" to call a PEV to navigate to designated locations.

Spike is a social cycling App developed for bike-sharing programs. The application persuades urban dwellers to cycle together, increasing the perceived level of safety, which is a social benefit that, when redeemed together, motivates behavioral change; while Frequent Biker Miles sustain such behavior. An essential feature is real-time information on current cycling locations of users of the social network or when they plan to bike, to facilitate bike dates.

The PEV has electrical powertrain and power-assist pedal system, which enables users to choose to ride via partially-manual or fully e-power mode At the same time, the internal GPS can calculate the shortest routes and slow the PEV or change routes in response to road conditions.