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22 Dossier | EasyMile EZ10 autonomous shuttle autonomous taxi developer Navya. EasyMile now employs around 220 people, is still recruiting and has recently moved to new offices in Toulouse, south- west France. It also has workshop facilities and test tracks on the streets and alleyways of the small ghost town that is the former French Air Force base at Francazal, just outside Toulouse. The military closed the base in 2009, and the city government subsequently bought it with a view to turning it into a high-technology vehicle development centre. While it resembles a tall, small-wheeled minibus with a smile on its face, the third- generation EZ10 is the latest iteration of a vehicle that continues to evolve and that can be thought of as a medium-sized enterprise computing system on wheels. EasyMile concentrates its efforts on the computer software and hardware, along with the safety, service, customisation and support aspects of the EZ10’s development, contracting out the detail design and manufacture to partner Ligier. Famous for its Formula One and Le Mans cars that competed from the mid-1970s to the mid-’90s, and for low-volume sportscars, Ligier’s main business is the flexible manufacture of niche market vehicles including micro- cars, small commercial vehicles, off-road quadricycles and so on. Minority investors who bring broad and deep expertise as well as money include Tier 1 automotive technology supplier Continental, train giant Alstom and French state-owned investment bank BPI. Gagnaire himself is the majority shareholder. The EZ10 is a battery-powered EV designed to carry up to six seated passengers and nine more standing. On a single charge of its 40 kWh, 48 V lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery pack it can operate for up to 10 hours continuously with the air-conditioning running, an endurance that rises to 16 hours with the AC switched off. Energy and anatomy “Although 48 V is a relatively low voltage for a modern EV, it makes it easier and safer to maintain the EZ10 and train customers,” platform team manager Luc Barthelemy explains. Also, and because the vehicle does not have to accelerate very hard or achieve high top April/May 2020 | Unmanned Systems Technology An EZ10 being assembled at Ligier’s Clermont-Ferrand facility. The main structural members are made from various grades of aluminium alloy, with steel subframes supporting the e-axles, suspension, steering and braking systems Although 48 V is a relatively low voltage for a modern EV, it makes it safer to maintain the EZ10 and train customers