AV shuttle rides at Christchurch Airport

People are invited to ride next week at Christchurch Airport on a new Ohmio Lift self-driving shuttle launched there on June 21.

Hailed as “New Zealand’s first Smart Shuttle”, the Lift can carry up to 15 mainly standing adults at a time and is the second stage of an autonomous vehicle (AV) trial on private airport roads

Christchurch Airport chief executive Malcolm Johns says it’s time to ride the future.

“This vehicle has been produced by our trial partner Ohmio,” Johns says. “It is autonomous, electric and parts of it have been 3D printed.”

He says the shuttle may offer more possible uses across the airport campus in future.

“In the meantime, we will continue testing and learning to understand its capabilities.”

Johns says a small number of interested parties were invited to see the new vehicle unveiled, and members of the public can take a ride on it over the next week.

HMI and Ohmio executive chairman Mohammed Hikmet says he believes this is the largest 3D printed vehicle in the world.

EVtalk checked out the Lift at Ohmio Automation, part of HMI Technologies, in Auckland before its departure for Christchurch.

More about it will feature in our July EVtalk magazine.