priestmangoode imagines electric self-driving vehicle for dromos

priestmangoode has revealed an electric, autonomous vehicle designed for high capacity urban transport. autonomous network transit (ANT) company dromos technologies selected the london-based design studio to develop the project following an international competition. the brief called for a safe, reliable, and affordable vehicle, that took into account the principles of innovation, modularity, sustainability, convenience, maintainability, and versatility.

all images by priestmangoode

priestmangoode describes its design for dromos as ‘approachable minimalism’ — adding that there are no extraneous elements and that every detail serves a specific purpose. the design was created to be easy and efficient to manufacture, as well as maintain, and to enable maximum passenger comfort. features include a multi-purpose vehicle platform designed for passenger and freight and flexible interior options to accommodate various passenger needs.

the vehicle offers step-free access and has extra wide doors that allow easy access for prams, wheelchairs, bikes. meanwhile, large windows have tinted and patterned glass with a reflective coating that reduces solar heat absorption. internally, the seats have been molded from sustainable and easy to clean materials. the design team says that the colors, materials, and finishes are being developed taking into account the latest material technology and increased passenger considerations around hygiene.

dromos provides a high capacity network of autonomous electric vehicles suitable for both passenger and urban freight, running on demand and on its own dedicated infrastructure. the closed-loop system provides a number of passenger, environmental and economic benefits including: 24/7 on demand service; nearby stops within up to 100m of any location, and direct into buildings; non-stop service means shortest travel times between two points; CO2 neutral at point of use; ultra-quiet. it also has lower construction and operating cost, lower space consumption, shorter construction times compared to conventional mass transport systems.

‘we were impressed with priestmangoode’s design expertise and experience with high capacity transport vehicles,’ says lars herold, CEO of dromos technologies. ‘their ability to understand both passenger and business needs means they’re the ideal partner to design a vehicle for our high capacity system, which re-imagines mass transit for the 21st century. moreover, their wide range of skills from design, CX, material development and visualization means we’re able to work more efficiently, with an integrated design approach.’

‘this type of mass transit has become even more relevant now,’ says paul priestman, designer and chairman of priestmangoode. ‘not only does it answer the first and last mile problem, which is one of the key issues we’re always trying to solve in public transport, but it’s also particularly suitable for a post-pandemic world where passengers are more concerned about hygiene and safety. it enables us to maintain high volumes of passengers, whilst enabling social distancing, as passengers would share vehicles only with their own travel party.’ priestmangoode and dromos technologies are currently working on finalizing the design for production.