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31 Passive safety In terms of passive safety – the ability to protect occupants in a crash – the Cab is more demanding than the Shuttle, which did not have to be crash tested because of its low operating speeds. However the much faster Cab will be crash tested, and the company will pursue a Euro NCAP rating for it. That has influenced the design in a number of ways, for example by positioning the battery pack under the floor where, Sapet says, they are protected from “every kind of crash”. Getting the full protective benefit from airbags though is a challenge, because passengers sit facing each other in two rows of three seats positioned against the front and rear bulkheads. Sapet admits that it is “a little complicated to imagine” how an airbag system should be configured to protect them in longitudinal impacts, although for lateral impacts conventional side/ curtain airbags should work as they do in other cars. Solving this problem is a work in progress. Cyber security To protect the Cab from the threat of cyber attack, Navya has its own dedicated team that is also working with an outside company of ‘white hat’ hackers looking for any vulnerabilities that might arise from its connected nature. Sapet is confident in the results this process has produced so far, and is now more concerned about the vehicle’s physical security than its cyber vulnerability. Its computer hardware and information/ entertainment screens, for example, would make tempting targets for thieves, so they have to be installed securely while still allowing reasonably convenient access for maintenance. There have been incidents in which people have interfered with the operation of Lidars by aiming lasers at them, but as the vehicle has multiple and different sensors it is not easy to attack in this way. Body, structure and running gear In appearance, the Cab has the familiar, smooth box-like shape of a people carrier or mini-van. The primary structure is the chassis, which is welded from steel tubing that connects the rear suspension to the front suspension, driveline and steering systems and supports a flat aluminium floor, under which the battery pack is mounted. The front suspension is a conventional system with lower suspension wishbones that pivot on a sub-frame and carry coil springs and telescopic dampers that form the struts. The black-painted main rear suspension members are hollow seam-welded trailing arms that pivot on a transverse axis and incorporate a spring pan at the rear and an outboard hub carrier. At the front, the steering rack is mounted to the rear of the wheel hubs, while the disc brake calipers are in front of them. At the rear, the calipers are mounted behind the wheel hubs. The prototype we examined at the company’s factory in Vénissieux near Lyon was fitted with five-stud, ten-spoke 20 in alloy wheels and low-profile 245/40 ZR20 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres, although the brochure lists rather less sporty 19 in 205/55 tyres. The body panels are secondary composite structures made from a glass-reinforced plastic sheet moulding compound fixed to the primary structure. At the rear for example, with the rear valance panel removed, the four brackets that hold the captive nuts that take the attachment bolts to secure them can be seen. These fix the valance to the rear corner panel on the right and the side panel on the left, each of which incorporates most of its respective rear- wheel arch. The left side panel also incorporates most of the front wheel arch, as it is a long part that is not divided by a door. There are three panels including the door on the right side and, judging by the panel gaps, all the window frames are separate panels. They are fitted with tinted glass. The right rear corner panel incorporates the track for the electrically powered sliding door. Unmanned Systems Technology | April/May 2018 The Cab is much more like a conventional car or a people carrier than the Shuttle (Courtesy of Navya)