Navya bringing driverless vehicle trials to Perth next year

Perth has been chosen to host a trial of electric-powered autonomous vehicles next year.

Run by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) of Western Australia and the Western Australian government, the trial will test Navya's "Autonom" vehicles in "a closed and controlled environment" from April next year.

Until then, the state government and the RAC will explore locations for the initial trial and a potential on-road public trial later on.

Perth is one of three cities picked for trials of the new type of electric vehicle. The vehicles will be bookable through a smartphone app once rolled out, according to RAC WA, similar to ride-sharing services such as Uber.

The WA government said future benefits of driverless vehicles include increased efficiency, safety, reduced transportation costs, and employment opportunities.

"The autonomous vehicle revolution is coming and WA has the potential to be at the cutting edge of this new technology," said WA Innovation and ICT Minister David Kelly. "High-tech new industries such as autonomous vehicles will be a source of the jobs of the future, and I want to ensure this state is well-placed to take advantage of these new opportunities."

The government also said it is continuing to work on other automated vehicle trials, including an automated bus on Curtin University campus and RAC's staged trial of a driverless, fully electric shuttle bus on Perth roads.