Could an unmanned electric vehicle help ease traffic woes?

As traffic threatens to usurp death and taxes as the most inevitable condition of our daily life, an electric vehicle that can be driven remotely but also by commuters could be a new solution to gridlock and parking struggles.

Trilvee, a London-based company the brainchild of Maltese entrepreneur Michael Mangion, is aiming to reduce the congestion caused by large vehicles, many of which are on the road with a single occupant.

The company has created an on-demand electric vehicle that can be driven remotely to a location and provide commuters with a three-wheeled solution, slightly larger than a motorcycle, that can be driven at their leisure to any location.

Once the user ends the journey, there is no need to park the vehicle, as it can be driven away by an employee from a remote location, preventing the take-up of parking spaces.

The idea started over a decade ago, Mangion told Times of Malta, however, the technology and a multi-modal approach to transport was not as prevalent as it is today.

“Since we regrouped and found that the technology has matured, we founded the company almost a year ago and started working on it,” he said.

“As founders, we have done some of the core research and design that has allowed us to take a vehicle with no drive-by-wire system and turn it into something that can be driven from 2,000 kilometres away.”

While most people use a car to complete most of their journeys, Mangion said, their research indicated that a more compact and electric vehicle would still be suitable for the majority of people’s transport needs.

The Trilvee vehicle being tested locally. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

“You can get in, drive it yourself to wherever you want to go, whatever route you choose and, when you get there, there’s no need to look for parking, you can get out, end the ride on your app and it will drive away to the next customer.”

Trilvee’s next steps are fundraising to turn their prototype into a market-ready product. A few more months are needed to refine the vehicle as well as choosing a launch city to allow for a small trial run, see the service in action and gain invaluable feedback from customers.

While the Trilvee has already made it onto Maltese streets in a number of local demonstrations, the possibility of seeing the vehicles in action is slightly more tangible as its founders are looking for partner cities to host a limited trial run of the vehicle for public use.

“If this is something the government might be interested in, then, absolutely, we see Malta as a potentially really good destination to trial the technology,” Mangion said.

“We are also speaking to a lot of cities in the UK and other European countries because, when people see it in action, it’s really resonating with local authorities who are actively seeking solutions to reduce traffic congestion and car usage in their cities and countries.”