Joint Mobility and sport conference held in South Africa for the first time
Minister of Transport Blade Nzimande said he is excited about the gradual shift to electronic modes of transport at the 2019 Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Conference on Monday (29 April).
A fully autonomous automobile vehicle was shown for the first time in South Africa in the 2019 Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Conference. Minister of Transport Blade Nzimande said that South Africa might be able to save government billions in the long run and conserve the future.
The joint Mobility and Sport Conferences is said to signify the integration between mobility and sport within the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile(FIA) and countries that are members of FIA. This is according to a statement released by the Automobile Association.
The Automobile Association said in a statement that the conference is held under the theme “Stronger Together”. This is said to bring together close to 500 delegates from 117 different countries.
The event takes place in conjunction with the FIA Region 1 Spring Meeting and FIA Sport Regional Congress and is being held in Africa for the time in the FIA’s history.
Minister Nzimande and the President of the FIA, Mr. Jean Todt were given an opportunity to travel on the Navya Autonomous Electric Shuttle, the first autonomous, driverless, fully electric, commercially available vehicle demonstrated in South Africa.
“Autonomous transport technologies have the potential to change the act of driving and the perception of mobility. The FIA has long acknowledged the benefits these could bring to revolutionise transport systems, making them cleaner, safer, and more accessible, especially in urban areas,” said AA in a statement.
The AA said that by proposing the Navya Electric Autonomous Shuttle service to the attendees of the FIA Conference 2019, the Federation maintains its commitment to accompany its Member Clubs, and all road users, in the journey towards the adoption of driverless vehicles.
The launch event was the occasion to highlight the opportunities and challenges of these innovations, the necessity to develop and monitor independent trials in real conditions to build user confidence, and the regulatory changes required for these new vehicles to safely transition to the road.
“This demonstration in South Africa is one of the first trials on the African continent where the road mortality rate is almost 50 percent higher than the world average, and 85 to 95 percent of the fleet is made of used vehicles,” said AA in a press release.
FIA President Jean Todt welcomed the initiative and encouraged authorities to adopt strategies for automation to address these mobility challenges.
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