PICAV

The project presents a new mobility concept for passengers ensuring accessibility for all in urban pedestrian environments. The concept addresses a new Personal Intelligent City Accessible Vehicle (PICAV) and a new transport system that integrates a fleet of PICAV units.

The PICAV vehicle ensures accessibility for everybody and some of its features are specifically designed for people whose mobility is restricted for different reasons, particularly (but not only) elderly and disabled people. Ergonomics, comfort, stability, assisted driving, eco-sustainability, parking and mobility dexterity as well as vehicle/infrastructures intelligent networking were the main drivers of PICAV design.

The innovative electric vehicle presents new unconventional chassis and suspension structure, new seating sub-assembly, new efficient power supply module.
 
The PICAV transport system was studied, modelled, simulated and virtually tested in order to offer an efficient and rational service to citizen within urban traffic restricted areas: the application fields of PICAV are outdoor pedestrian environments where usual public transport services cannot operate because of the width and slope of the infrastructures, uneven pavements and the interactions with high pedestrian flows.

This transport system is an on-demand and it is based on the car-sharing concept. To overcome the barriers of traditional car-sharing systems, the following specific services are provided: instant access; open-ended reservation; one-way trips.
 
The single units will be networked and able to communicate each other, with city infrastructure, public transport on the surrounding area and emergency services allowing high level of inter-modal integration.

Project official site: http://www.dimec.unige.it/picav/