Exclusively for ride-hailing service Arrival showcases an electric car prototype in cooperation with Uber
In May of this year, British electric car company Arrival and Uber, a U.S. ride-hailing service company, jointly developed an electric car dedicated to ride-hailing services. Today, Arrival unveiled its first car prototype.
The purpose of the cooperation between the two parties is to help more than 30 million online car-hailing vehicles worldwide migrate to zero-emission vehicles, and to provide a comfortable driving experience for online car-hailing services.
Arrival’s Jamie Heywood said: “”The first exposure of Arrival Car is an exciting time for Uber ride-hailing drivers, who are turning to electric cars much faster than the mass market. Uber drivers have been working with Arrival to provide feedback on the design of the first all-electric car designed for the ride-hailing industry.”
Since a taxi drives an average of 50,000 kilometers per year, the company said that the design focuses on cost, uptime, driver comfort, safety and convenience.
The trunk can accommodate two full-size suitcases, and the rear can accommodate three passengers. If the front passenger seat is not required, it can be folded and pushed forward to increase rear space.
Comparison
According to reports, the external footprint of a fully working Alpha prototype is roughly the same as that of the Volkswagen Golf, but the passenger’s legroom is twice that of an ordinary car of the same length.
By folding the front passenger seat and pushing it forward to the dashboard, the passenger space can be increased again.
There is space for three people in the back row. If the occupants look up, they will see a wide infinity roof. With the help of the vehicle’s battery-electric drive system, they can reach their destination quietly, although no actual specifications have been disclosed.
The design also saw the driver being pushed to the front and sitting in a high position to improve vision. All non-essential buttons, dials and cabin equipment have been stripped out, and now most physical controls are activated through the touch screen panel in the center of the dashboard.
The display screen is also used for navigation, digital meters, display of vehicle status, etc., but it can be used to provide passengers with driver identity information.
Arrival will begin testing the car next month and has already carried out the next series of prototype work before production.
